Broken Princess
by rukia23
Summary: A new, troubled transfer student, a new debt and something new for the boys to try and fix. Will this new girl prove to be more troublesome than she's worth or will she end up capturing their hearts? KyoyaxOc, with some other fun mixed in.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 1**

**Introductions**

_'__The coffee is weak__.'_ The girl thinking this sighed softly, her bright green eyes roaming over the ornate china tea cups set on the table in front of her. Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she looked away from the tea set to look around the rather large music room and at all of its inhabitants. There were mostly young girls, like her, gathered in groups of varying size around the room depending on the handsome boy they were sitting with. All of them blushing and giggling at every little thing, all except for this girl, Kimiko, who was slowly dying of boredom.

'_A Host Club, really_?' Even to her, her own thoughts sounded overly irritated, sarcastic, and a tad bit stuck up. However, Kimiko didn't particularly care, letting her thoughts continue in the same cynical tone.

'_They're like peacocks, trying to impress the girls with their bleach white smiles instead of shimmering feathers. Then, there's these two_…," Her eyes flicked to the twin boys that sat across from her that, even she couldn't deny, were quite handsome. Yet the way they hung over one another, and the way they spoke to one another, like lovers forbidden to ever meet, was a bit much. It was like being in a day time soap opera; only worse. '_It's easy enough to see this is just a game to them. You can see it in their eyes whenever the girls practically faint with delight, whenever they fall over one another: they look bored. At least I'm not the only one.'_

Carefully picking up her tea cup filled with coffee, she took a delicate sip of the weak beverage, trying not to grimace or show her disappointment over the drink's taste. Kimiko liked her coffee dark, strong, bold, and bitter. '_Maybe I got a cup from a bad batch_.'

Her thoughts of bad coffee were interrupted by a particularly loud set of girlish squeals, and she couldn't help grimacing as those squeals joined with the other high-pitched squeals reverberating around the music room. Several girls that were sitting with a blonde Host began swooning even louder over something he said. When she glanced over, he was staring affectionately into the eyes of some red head beside him, causing the girl to tremble with emotion. _'He must be French…' _She sighed, again, not bothering to keep it quiet this time and rolled her eyes in exasperation. '_This is ridiculous. These girls really enjoy this? It's so ostentatious… I wonder why in the world the Academy would allow this sort of club to operate. Aside from the obvious_,' she thought, glancing back over the dramatic blonde.

Kimiko rested her cheek in her pale palm, leaning her elbow on the armrest of the expensive, and almost overly ornate, pale red sofa she was sitting on. Briefly catching the eye of the girls she shared the couch with, another sigh escaped her lips. Pointedly ignoring the twins and their fawning, she inspected the girl who had invited, more like dragged, her here to the Host Club. The other girl had short, plain brown hair and wore the exact same uniform she wore, a puffy yellow dress with white accents that signified them both as class members of the elite Ouran Academy.

While her 'friend' was busy being starry eyed over the twin's 'brotherly love' act, she was busy looking around at a nearby clock impatiently, wishing time would go by faster, while trying to appear as interested as possible in the Hosts. Connections were a good thing to have; Kimiko's father had taught her as much, but she just wasn't so sure she wanted any connection at all with people who enjoyed being played for fools by handsome boys with far too much time on their hands.

"My dear princess, you don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Is there anything I could get for you; anything at all?" the tall, thin, blonde host she had been staring at earlier asked her, suddenly popping out of, what in Kimiko's opinion, was nowhere, using a tone that was far too honey filled and melodramatic for her tastes. She quirked an eyebrow in response, lifting her cheek from her small, delicate hand to get a better look at the smiling prince-like boy in front of her while her friend continued fawning over the twin Hosts, seeming to be lost in some strange little world of her own.

"Unless you can get me a glass of red wine, preferably a nice, imported pinot noir, then, I'm afraid, you're rather...useless," she replied blandly, not caring that the blonde's smile was faltering, and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Now, now, Tamaki; there's no need for such dramatic behavior. The young lady was only being sarcastic. Weren't you, miss...?"

Kimiko's green eyes moved to look at the black haired boy appearing beside the distraught Tamaki Suoh. His eyes were nearly as dark as his hair, and she was able to catch a glimpse of them before he pushed his rimless glasses up the bridge of his slender nose with his middle finger. She was well aware that the boy was trying to get her to introduce herself, but she was no fool; he knew exactly who she was, just as she knew exactly who he, and who nearly every other person in the room was. Knowing this, Kimiko smirked arrogantly at the boy she knew to be Kyouya Ootori before introducing herself, like he wanted.

"I'm Kimiko Aratoshi, though you already knew that, ne, Ootori-senpai?" she replied, her voice full of mocking sarcasm as she smiled a falsely bright smile.

"You're right, Aratoshi-san," the black haired boy chuckled into his hand with feigned politeness. "I knew who you were beforehand. After all, it's not often that we get transfer students from America."

"While that may be true, I'm not your average transfer student, now, am I?"

"No member of the Aratoshi family could ever be referred to as average. You are the only heir to your family's company, if I'm not mistaken."

Her petite form tensed a bit and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the mention of her position. "You're not mistaken, Ootori-senpai."

"Please, call me Kyouya, Aratoshi-san," Kyouya replied, continuing to smile that scarily charming smile at her. Kimiko's smile only grew, but, to those who were used to being in the company of wealthy aristocracy, it wasn't hard to see that the smile was nothing but a mask; a mask that was born and bred into her since well before she was even old enough to know when she was smiling.

"In that case, call me Kimiko, Kyouya-senpai."

"As you wish, Kimiko-chan." If she hadn't had fifteen years to practice the fake, Barbie doll-like smile she had thickly plastered onto her face, she was sure that her eyebrow would have twitched uncontrollably at being called 'Kimiko-chan'. Having been raised in America, she wasn't used to the use of honorifics; though, she knew well enough what each and everyone of them meant. She was still Japanese, after all, and, her breeding and background required she know the ins and outs of her own heritage.

"Since you're new to the school, how about I give you a private tour after club activities, today," Kyouya offered kindly.

"As lovely as that sounds, Kyouya-_kun_," she replied, with a bit too much emphasis, purposely, on the honorific. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline the offer. I have an appointment that I just can't miss."

"I see. Maybe some other time then."

"Maybe."

"Ah, Aratoshi-san, what do you think of the Host club?" her friend turned to ask Kimiko in a voice much too squeaky for her liking.

"Well, Tatsuya-san, I'm afraid I don't find their antics near as entertaining as the rest of you. So if you'll excuse me," Kimiko began to rise, ignoring the look of surprise and hurt on her new friend's face. She had known the girl for less than a week, and she knew the girl had been told to befriend her, like most of the school had been told to do, because of her family name. And while she understood the importance of creating relationships with certain members of the upper class while attending the prestigious school, she really didn't care about political gain at the moment; she just wanted to be left alone.

"Oh no, Usa-chan!"

Kimiko started, turning towards the boyish shout only to see a stuffed rabbit flying towards the table she was about to move away from. The china cups on the table were still full and, seeing the expression on the little boy's face as his stuffed toy flew right towards the tea set, Kimiko moved to snatch the stuffed rabbit out of the air before it could knock coffee everywhere and ruin not only the table, but the toy itself. She managed to catch the rabbit before it could cause a terrible mess and sighed in relief until she realized that she had accidentally bumped the table a little roughly with her leg. Looking down slowly, she cringed as the table rocked, and the amber liquid in the glasses sloshed onto the table cloth just before the table gave out altogether. An incredibly loud creak was instantly followed by the sound of shattering glass as the entire tea set broke into thousands of pieces upon the table's impact with the ground.

"Aratoshi-san!" Tatsuya cried out, leaping from the couch to stand at the Kimiko's side. "Are you alright?"

Kimiko blinked at the mess, not failing to hear the murmurs around her about how she had saved Hunny-senpai's 'Usa-chan'. _'Hunny-senpai? They couldn't possibly mean that that little boy is the Haninozuka heir, Mitsukuni, could they?'_ she thought to herself, gazing down at the blonde little boy in curiosity. There was another boy beside him who was tall, unlike him, with short cropped black hair and a tan face, which she hadn't once seen form any type of expression.

"Mitsukuni, you should really be more careful with Usa-chan," the tall boy warned the younger looking blonde.

Kimiko couldn't help but to let out a confused, "huh?" and tilt her head to the side. Her confusion was short lived, however, when the young looking blonde, that she now realized was in fact a few years older than her, was beaming brightly up at her. She could have sworn that there were even little flowers dancing around his head as he called out to his stuffed toy in her arms and ran towards her.

"Thank you! You're Kimi-chan, right? It's so nice to meet you! And you saved Usa-chan! Thank you so much!" With no warning, the older, cute student was suddenly wrapping his arms affectionately around her neck; and that's where everything went very, very wrong. She abruptly pushed the blonde off of her, dropping the rabbit, which was still in her hands, to the ground before, unconsciously, sweeping her hand out in a sharp slap, so quickly even she couldn't stop herself.

The entire room gasped, shocked, except for Kyouya, of course; he just pushed his glasses up and held his little black book in front of himself, watching the brown haired girl as she slapped his senior club mate across the face. Her green eyes widened as her hand swept over Hunny's cheek, and she realized what she was doing. But it was too late to do anything about it.

She blinked rapidly as the stunned blonde turned to look at her, dumbfounded as everyone else was by her reaction. His friend, the black haired boy she now realized was most likely Takashi Morinozuka, had moved to stop her hand, but even he couldn't reach her in time to stop her from slapping his cousin. Instead, he frowned at her from behind Haninozuka.

"Are you alright, Mitsukuni," he asked quietly, his soft voice echoing around the eerily silent room. Kimiko's jaw clenched painfully, and she could feel her chest tightening. With the stinging sensation of tears in her eyes, she didn't wait for anyone to come back to reality. Instead, she turned around and ran from the room, leaving everyone staring after her in complete and utter shock.

"Well, that was…unexpected," Kyouya said to himself as all the guests and the members of the Host Club crowded around Hunny. "Then again, this proves that she is nothing like her profile makes her out to be..."

* * *

She refused to talk to anyone the following day in classes. She kept her head down, and her eyes focused straight ahead of her. She shared a class with three members of the Host Club, however, and it was hard to avoid the heated glare of the two twins that she had been sitting with the prior day. The other Host club member, Haruhi Fujioka, just seemed rather indifferent about the entire thing and focused on class work, while trying to keep the twins in line with a few hearty smacks to their heads whenever they began to act up.

It was when lunch finally came around that she had her chance to escape, and, instead of going to the cafeteria, she fled to the gardens outside to avoid the glares, gazes, and murmurs that circulated around her. A while later as she sat in the maze of hedges located in Ouran Academy's beautiful gardens, a pair of arms wrapped around her neck in a less than comfortable way. Her body stiffened, and she fought the urge to react, as she had so badly wanted to, as her body knew it should, to protect itself by slamming her elbow into her attacker's gut.

"What do you want?" she growled sharply, glancing over her shoulder at the evil brown haired boy that had put his arms around her.

"Tsk, tsk, is that anyway to talk to your fiancée, Kimiko?" he asked in a bored tone, with a smile that was not warm or even tepid; it was emotionless and empty.

She stood up from the hand carved marble bench she had been sitting on, letting the arms that had grasped her fall from their place. "You're not my fiancée, Katsuro," she stated scathingly, beginning to walk away from the handsome, yet somehow, crude looking boy. "Remember your place. Touch me again and-" She was forced to stop speaking her mind as her wrist was ruthlessly crushed in his powerful grasp. Ignoring the pain, she didn't cry out or show any emotion as she was spun around and pinned against Katsuro's chest, his hands making them selves much too comfortable on her body. His face leaned closer to her, and he rested his chin on her neck.

"Then why don't you fight back, huh? You're such a good, obedient little girl, Aratoshi. You can't push me away, can you? You always do as your family asks of you," Katsuro whispered mockingly in her ear. Knocking his arms from her body, Kimiko thrust a palm at his chest only to cry out as her fingers were enveloped by Katsuro's larger, and much stronger, hand, and her entire arm was wrenched painfully behind her back. She couldn't break free of the grasp that held her as she was spun around, and was forcefully pinned against the larger boy's chest once more.

"Let me go you filthy low life," she demanded, her voice beginning to shake slightly.

He laughed harshly, letting his free hand graze her body's curves. "Get used to it, Aratoshi, you belong to me now."

"I will never belong to you, you bastard. Now let me go."

"Fine," he said, releasing her from his painful hold. "But you'll pay for this later." Kimiko watched him walk away. She had never noticed that there was someone on the third floor of the nearest school building, gazing out the window. She didn't know that they had witnessed the entire scene, and now saw the tears that filled her eyes as she fell to her knees, choking on the sobs that desperately tried to break from her throat.

"It seems there was a lot that wasn't mentioned in that profile," that someone said, turning from the window to sit behind a sleek, white laptop set up on a nearby table.

Stepping out of the sleek black car that had driven her home and staring ruefully up at the modern mansion it had dropped her off in front of, Kimiko, unconsciously, tightened her hold on the bag she carried with her. There was no doubt in her mind that just behind the double doors in front of her waited a woman that barely resembled her at all, tapping her dainty little foot against the imported marble flooring of the entrance hall.

Gathering up her resolve, Kimiko walked towards the mansion, made up almost entirely of dark paned glass, and stepped through the doors that were opened for her as she approached. Just as she expected, a black haired, green eyed woman stood not far from the doors, dressed in a stiff designer dress and wearing too much make up to look natural. It was Sumi Hirosuma, formerly, Sumi Aratoshi, her mother.

"Good afternoon, Mother," Kimiko greeted with a forced smile.

"Don't take that tone with me, Kimiko. What is this I hear about you being rude to Harashi-kun, this afternoon?"

She inwardly sighed; this was expected, but that didn't mean she wanted to deal with it. "I didn't mean to be rude to him, Mother, but he was being rather forceful and-"

"I don't care how he was acting. You will treat him with respect. You two will be married-,"

"Respect? He's not even an aristocrat! He's the bastard son of a wannabe mafia boss. I'm the daughter of-,"

"I know whose daughter you are, you ungrateful brat! You're my daughter, and you will do as I tell you."

"Just because you've remarried, and your new husband can't take control of the Aratoshi family's business because it's been left to me and not you, doesn't mean I have to do as you say, Mother," Kimiko hissed icily. "I won't marry his oldest nephew just so he can control what was left to me!"

Her mother lashed out at her, and Kimiko didn't fight back or move to avoid the back of her mother's hand. She stumbled backwards from the force of the hit, dropping her bag and slipping on the slick surface of the floor. Her ankle twisted, but there was no real damage outside of a few bruises she knew she would have in a few hours.

"Listen to me, Kimiko. Either do as I say, or I will make your life miserable. That man that called himself my husband, your father, left everything to you and left me with nothing. Nothing! I won't have it! You will obey me, understood?" Kimiko ignored the woman that stood over her and the foot that found its way onto her hand, pressing itself down with enough pressure to make the bones crack and groan in protest.

"Do as I tell you to. It's for the best," her mother said, removing her foot from Kimiko's aching hand.

"How is it for the best?" Kimiko grumbled, refusing to nurse her sore hand or ankle in defeat. "Father worked hard to maintain a good reputation for the company, and you want to hand it over to a bunch of dimwitted, chauvinistic nobodies."

"You are aware that your father's will states that should something happen to you, and you are unable to take control of the corporation then it will pass to me, correct?" Her green eyes widened minutely as she stared at the floor beneath her for a moment before chuckling harshly.

"Are you threatening me, Mother?"

"Of course not, you're my child. I would never harm you. I don't know what to say about your dear step-father, though," her mother replied with a bitter edge to her voice. "Behave, understand?" She gritted her teeth, but nodded stiffly.

"Good, now do your homework like a good little girl, and I expect you to make today up to Harashi-kun, okay?" her mother asked cheerily before turning and walking away, her heels clicking quietly against the smooth tile.

Staying where she was until her mother was out of sight, Kimiko fought back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her for the second time that day. Her hand was throbbing, her ankle, too, and the sting of her mother's hand had yet to fully fade, but that wasn't what made the tears spring to her eyes. It was the fact that she was powerless to do anything, and she knew it. Her father's company, her company, would end up in the control of worthless jerks that knew nothing about how to run a business. The only thing she could do to try and salvage her family's name was to do as she was told and marry Katsuro, hoping there was someway she could still control the business from the shadows.

* * *

~A/N~

Hope everyone enjoys this re-written version of chapter 1. Many thanks to Maximum Vampire for her awesome editing skills, as well as her great ideas and advice!

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Family Affairs

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 2**

**Family Affairs**

"You know, it's obvious you're trying to avoid everyone and that you feel bad about what happened, why don't you just apologize to Hunny-senpai, I'm sure he'd forgive you."

Kimiko jumped and nearly dropped the book that was in her hands, one of which was wrapped in clean white bandages to hide the dark bruises that marred her skin. She blinked up at the person who had spoken to see that it was the brown haired, brown eyed Haruhi Fujioka, her fellow classmate. It was lunch and Kimiko had chosen to stay in the classroom to eat and avoid everyone else, her strategy apparently wasn't working she noted as Haruhi sat at her own desk and pulled a lunch box from her bag.

"I slapped him for trying to thank me, I doubt anyone will be forgiving me for what I did any time soon," Kimiko replied flatly.

"You'll never know until you try, but it's your choice not mine," Haruhi shrugged.

"You're right, excuse me, Ms Fujioka," Kimiko said stiffly, smiling at the surprised brunette as she stood from her chair and gathered her things before gracefully leaving the room with a slight limp.

* * *

"This is it," Kimiko stated, turning her head to look at the three people behind her. All of them were male, all dressed in the same black suit and each one of them was holding a sparkling silver tray, each tray had a large round cover hiding the contents that they each held. "I really don't know what to expect, but whatever happens, this never gets mentioned to my mother or anyone else, understood," she asked authoritatively, her eyes going from one man to the next.

"Of course, Kimiko-sama," one of the men replied, inclining his head to her. He was tall, well built and had short black hair and gray eyes.

"Thank you, Haka-san," Kimiko smiled. She had known the man since she was a child, he and the other two men had served her father as his personal bodyguards and assistants, now they served her and only her. "You too, Tomoe-san, Chika-san. Well, here we go," Kimiko said, taking a deep breath before pushing the ornate gold trimmed double doors before her open and stepping inside music room number three. Also known as the home of the Host Club.

She had to shield her eyes from the intensity of the lights as the doors swung open and it took her eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did she was very confused. What she was looking at wasn't a music room and it definitely wasn't the same room she had been in just a few days before. It was a jungle, literally, not figuratively. There were palm trees and a wide variety of plants that weren't native to Japan, not to mention the music room.

Blinking, it took her a moment to realize that there were people in the room, many in fact. Most of which were females and were of course dressed in the same yellow and white dress as she was, and the few males that were in the room were dressed in scanty islander like costumes reminding her that she was indeed still on Ouran's campus and that she was most definitely in the Host Club's gathering spot.

Swallowing, she stepped further into the room, scanning the scenery until she found the light brown haired boy with the big brown eyes. All eyes were on her as she walked into the room followed by her three rather intimidating looking black clad bodyguards. She ignored the glares she was getting from the Hitachin twins, the curious glance she received from Kyoya, the smile from Haruhi and the concerned look of Tamaki Suoh. She couldn't however ignore the watchful eyes of Takashi Morinozuka as she approached the blanket that he sat upon with Hunny and three girls.

"Um, Haninozuka-senpai, I..." Kimiko trailed off and self-consciously glanced around the room. Wringing her hands in front of her, she looked around and happened to glance at Haruhi who was smiling encouragingly at her. It was that smile that made her gather her nerves and face the brown eyed boy that was staring innocently up at her. She bent at the waist and kept her hands clasped in front of her as she bowed. "Please forgive me for my actions the other day, Haninozuka-senpai. I..I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, Kimi-chan," the boyish older teen replied, startling Kimiko and making her straighten up and stare confusingly at him. "It was my fault anyway, I shouldn't have assumed that it was okay to touch you. I'm sorry I startled you, I didn't mean to." He finished with a bright smile.

She couldn't help but to return the smile and even laugh when she heard someone behind her say, "Ohh, cake," and Haninozuka's eyes lit up.

"You brought me cake," he asked squeakily, eyes growing wide as saucers.

"Yes, I made a few of them actually and some cookies. I apologize if they're not very good, I hurt my wrist earlier in the week," she lifted her bandaged left hand to show him, smiling sheepishly. "And it made it a bit difficult to mix the batters and ice the cakes. I wasn't sure what your favorite was so there's chocolate, strawberry angel food and then just a vanilla cake with raspberry filling."

"You made these yourself," Haninozuka asked, giving her a look that clearly said he was impressed when the silver lids were taken off of the two other trays to display delicious looking cakes and cut out cookies.

She nodded in response. "Yes, I did. I hope you all enjoy them. Haka-san, Tomoe-san, Chika-san leave the trays please, I can get them later," Kimiko said turning to face the three men who all obediently nodded and placed the trays in their arms down on the nearest stable surfaces. Once the trays were set down, she stepped past her three black clad guards and headed for the doors, all three men falling into step behind her.

"Wait, Kimi-chan," Haninozuka cried.

Kimiko turned around to face him confused as to why he was calling after her. She blinked when he ran up to her and smiled, holding the same stuffed rabbit she had rescued a few days before.

"Won't you stay and have some cake with me," he asked giving her one of the cutest smiles she had ever seen, especially considering that he was two years her senior and he looked like the most adorable ten year old ever.

"Um... I.."

"Please," he pleaded, giving her puppy dog eyes and a small pout. "I'll let you hold Usa-chan."

She couldn't say no to the face he was making while he held out his stuffed rabbit and ended up sighing and nodding her head. "Ok."

"Yay!" He yelled gleefully, grabbing her hand and tugging her back towards where he had been sitting with Morinozuka.

She squealed, she was being pulled forward with much more force than she thought should have been possible for someone of Haninozuka's size, but she also knew that looks could be deceiving. The Haninozuka family was well known for their martial arts skills and Mitsukuni was said to be one of the most talented of the family, despite his small stature.

"Mitsukuni, you should let her go, remember what happened the last time-"

"Ah, it's alright, Morinozuka-senpai, I don't mind. What happened last time, won't happen again, I over reacted and I really am sorry," Kimiko cut in. When she finished, a necklace of bright, fragrant flowers was put over her head. "Thank you, Haninozuka-senpai."

"You can just call me Hunny, everyone else does. And call Mori, Mori, k?"

"Sure."

"Well things sure took a strange turn, didn't they," Kyoya observed, watching Kimiko cut into one of the cakes and pass plates around with a smile on her face the entire time.

"So what do you know about her," Tamaki asked curiously, lapsing into the serious person he could occasionally become when the situation warranted it.

"She's the only heir to the Aratoshi family, her mother is still alive, but she wasn't well liked by the rest of the family and was left out of the will to appease them. It was the only way that her parents could be married, her father past away several years ago while they lived in America and since then her uncle has been running the business until she has finished school."

"To be honest, I don't know much about the Aratoshi's. I've never heard them mentioned before," Tamaki admitted thoughtfully.

"It's not that surprising really, they've been living in America for sometime, but it seems there was some tension between her mother and the higher levels of the Aratoshi family. Her mother remarried and moved her and her daughter to Japan, Kimiko-san's uncle didn't object because he thought that a proper education in Japan would be good for her."

"Are they planning on bringing their business here?"

"They already own a number of businesses here-"

"You just keep saying business," Tamaki cut in. "What kind of business do the Aratoshi's do?"

"Everything. We do a little bit of everything," Kimiko answered, stepping in front of Tamaki with a smile that was not as genuine as the one she had worn while eating cake with Hunny.

"Ah, Kimiko-hime," Tamaki stated, lavishly bowing before her and attempting to take her hand which she pulled away from him.

"I don't believe I gave you permission to touch me, Suoh-senpai, so please don't," Kimiko said icily, all the while maintaining her smile that never reached her eyes.

Tamaki cringed at the coldness in her voice and looked about to fold in on himself as she stared coldly at him.

"You'll have to excuse Tamaki, Kimiko-chan, he forgets that not everyone is in love with him," Kyoya informed her with a small, fake smile of his own, causing Tamaki to further fold in on himself and little tears fill his eyes.

"I wonder how it is you know so much about my family, Kyoya-kun, and just how much do you know," Kimiko asked with feigned politeness.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled charmingly, like he was used to doing when dealing with the many girls that came to the club on a daily basis. "It's my job to research all of our guests to be sure that we can offer the best service possible."

Kimiko tilted a brow at him and an almost amused look took up residence on her face. "Really? So I suppose you know exactly what my family specializes in?"

"Of course, though the Aratoshi's dabble in just about everything, they're most known for their unrivaled manufacturing companies around the world," Kyoya answered.

"Yes, and do you know what we manufacture?"

"Medical supplies. Your family owns the best medical manufacturing companies in the world, as well as some of the top hospitals in almost every other country but Japan."

"We might not own any top hospitals here in Japan, Kyoya-kun, but we do own over sixty percent of the manufacturing companies that supply the hospitals here, most of which are owned by your family if I'm not mistaken."

"She's scary," Tamaki sniffed as Haruhi walked over to see just what was going on.

"She kind of reminds me of Kyoya-senpai with that smile," Haruhi remarked, watching the exchange between the two people continue.

"You're not mistaken, I hope we can work together in the future, Kimiko-chan, it should prove to be-"

Kyoya was cut off when the double doors were opened with excessive force and a tall brown haired student walked into the room.

"Katsuro," Kimiko uttered quietly, immediately recognizing the furious face of the one who claimed to be her fiance.

The girls in the room squealed in fear as the boy stalked through the room, an obvious air of malice about him that clung to him like a dark thunderhead. Kimiko took a step back as he approached her, her previous arrogance replaced with shock and fear. She bit back a cry of pain when her injured wrist was brutally grabbed from her side, she tugged her hand away from him only to stumble and fall, her yellow dress fanning around her legs as she collided with the flooring that was currently rough straw mats to provide more of a jungle like atmosphere.

"You should know better than to fight me by now, Aratoshi, get up," Katsuro ordered darkly, his eyes never leaving Kimiko's.

"Pardon me, but I'm afraid you're causing a bit of a ruckus, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Kyoya stated, stepping in front of Kimiko while the girl struggled to get back to her feet.

"I'll leave as soon as my fiance-"

"Stop it, Katsuro," Kimiko cut in, stepping around Kyoya. "I'll go, but please-" Her eyes widened and she gasped. The back of Katsuro's hand had harshly met the flesh of her cheek. Blinking, she raised a hand to her stinging cheek and stared at Katsuro in disbelief. He had been rough with her before, but he had never out right hit her, he had just been much too forward in his advances and that was part of the reason she was often leery of being touched when she wasn't expecting it.

"Don't tell me what to do, you're just a woman, learn your place," Katsuro barked at her before reaching for her again.

She cringed away from his touch which only earned her a glare before her wrist was painfully being pulled in the direction of the door. She looked back to see that Hunny and Mori were about to intervene, she shook her head and smiled ruefully. She did the same thing with her own bodyguards and it was obvious that none of them were happy about how she was being treated while she was pulled from the room.

"Leave," Katsuro ordered the three men that had followed them into an empty classroom.

Kimiko nodded at them and rubbed at her wrist the moment it was released.

"What were you doing with them, you little whore, you better not-"

"Don't call me a whore you bastard, I haven't done anything to be given the same title as your mother or my own," Kimiko snapped angrily, ignoring the sting and burning protest in her muscles when she was slammed into a wall, her arms pinned above her head.

"Do you like me treating you this way or something? Are you stupid? All you have to do is behave and do as I tell you to and I wouldn't be forced to do this."

"Get your hands off of me," Kimiko demanded, trying to draw herself up to her full five feet five inches that was nowhere near as bulky as Katsuro's six feet.

"What did I tell you about telling me what to do," Katsuro asked, crushing her wrists in his and pinning her body to the wall with his own. "I said not to do it, didn't I?"

"And what makes you think I'll ever do as you tell me to," she retorted, her voice forced and pained as the pressure on her wrists intensified and she let out a small groan of discomfort and tried to writhe out of his grasp.

"Because you're mine," he growled into her ear.

She was pulled away from the wall with a cry of shock and thrown across the room to collide with a chair and desk, knocking them both over and crumpling to the ground beside them, holding her side and glaring up at Katsuro.

"I don't care how long it takes, I'll beat the fight out of you and if that doesn't work maybe I'll have to try another approach," Katsuro said, giving her a suggestive smile that made her stomach turn. He said nothing else as he pivoted on his heel and walked out of the room.

It was seconds after the door had shut behind him that it reopened, she didn't look up to see who had entered, already having an idea as to who it was anyway.

"I'm fine, Haka-san," she lied, using the fallen chair to help her stand, she winced at the pain that it caused to shoot through not only her wrist, but her ankle. Her side that had smashed into the desk and chair was sore too and she had no doubt that she would have a lovely bruise by the time she got home.

"Really, so you won't mind if I take a look at your ankle?"

She gasped, spinning towards the voice only to wince and cry out when her ankle gave out on her and she began to plummet towards the ground again. There was no impact. Strong, but firm arms were wrapped around her, catching her before she could fall and carefully setting her in the nearest chair.

"Kyoya?" She inquired in confusion, glancing up at the gray eyes that were watching her from behind the thin glass of his eye glasses.

"Addressing me so familiarly already," he asked teasingly, leaning back into one of the desks and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ah, sorry, I'm still adjusting to-"

"I was teasing, Kimiko, if you don't mind me calling you so familiarly as well," Kyoya cut in using the same princely charm he had been using earlier.

"I don't mind at all, it's what I'm used to after all. What can I do for you, Kyoya, was there something you needed? You startled me."

"Sorry about that, I just forgot something in here earlier and thought I'd come and get it now. I didn't expect to run into you here," he replied.

"Sure you didn't, if you'll excuse me, I need to be getting home I have a bit of homework to do and to be honest it takes a little while to do since I'm so used to doing everything in English," she smiled at him as she made to stand up, putting as little weight as she could on her injured ankle.

"Is he really your fiance? I'm just curious because you are the only heir to the Aratoshi family wealth and its businesses now that your father has passed. It can't pass to your uncle because he too married into the Aratoshi family and he and your aunt are still quite young and have no children of their own and even if they did, the business can't pass to their children. It was left to your father who left it to you."

"You seem awfully knowledgeable about my family, any reason for your curiosity?" Kimiko asked blandly.

"Your family and mine are rivals, we always have been. I'd hate to see your family ruined by a lowlife such as Katsuro Harashi and his family," Kyoya answered with a voice that was nearly monotonous and emotionless as his princely facade vanished and was replaced by a darker, more sinister front.

With eyes narrowed, she turned to look at Kyoya who was smiling innocently at her. "My family's affairs are none of your business and don't concern you."

"You're right, they don't concern me at all. I just think it would be such a shame if the great Aratoshi family was forced into poverty, but then again, it would benefit my family greatly by creating more business for us."

She snorted stubbornly and looked away from him. "Don't get too carried away Kyoya, I may have to marry that jerk because my mother wants me to, but I don't plan on letting him ruin what my father worked so hard to build."

Kyoya watched her walk away, smirking to himself as he adjusted his glasses. "This could be quite interesting. I wonder just what I should do..."

* * *

"You're planning something, aren't you," Tamaki asked, well more like accused, as he popped up behind Kyoya, the gray eyed boy was typing speedily away on his laptop.

"What would make you think that, Tamaki," Kyoya inquired blandly without so much as a glance at his best friend.

"Maybe it's because of the weird smile on your face," Hikaru and Kaoru both chorused for the blond from where they sat lazily sipping tea on a swing that was hanging from some of the imported shrubbery that was still decorating the room.

"If you must know," Kyoya began with his usual arrogant and detached tone. "I'm doing a little research on our new friend."

"Kimi-chan? Is she ok?" Hunny piped up.

"She's fine, or so she says-"

"Wait, you saw her," Hikaru started.

"And didn't tell us," Kaoru finished.

"I thought the two of you didn't like her, why are you worried now," Kyoya asked snidely.

"We're not," the red headed identical twins shrugged. "We just thought she made good cookies."

"You two are hopeless," Haruhi sighed.

"The cookies were pretty good," Tamaki agreed with a thoughtful look, stroking his chin.

"Anyways, Kimiko is fine, I have a feeling that she's used to the poor treatment she receives from her so called fiance and apparently her mother too since her father passed," Kyoya spoke up.

"Are you implying that what happened today is normal," Haruhi asked, sounding almost horrified by the suggestion.

"It would seem so. Her mother became abusive after her father passed and it was revealed that Kimiko would be the one to control the company and her mother was left with nothing. Her mother is also the one to have arranged the marriage between her and Harashi-san."

"The poor girl, we must help her, Mother!" Tamaki declared, striking a regal pose that was ignored by everyone. "A beautiful princess is in danger, the Host Club must act!"

"This isn't a game, Tamaki," Kyoya stated, ending Tamaki's dramatic scene with his blank statement. "She's being abused and forced into a marriage that she doesn't agree to. What do you think you can do?"

"I don't know, but we can't do nothing."

"You realize you have nothing to gain by helping her, right?"

"That's not true, Kyoya, if we can make the beautiful princess' life happy and see her smile with all of her heart, it will be worth it."

"You're a moron."

Tamaki ignored Kyoya's remark and instead chose to begin scheming alone in a quite corner of the room, occasionally mumbling to himself and pacing.

Haruhi studied Kyoya for a moment, wondering to herself just what the devious vice president of the club was up to. He _was_ up to something, she could tell that much, but _what_ he was up to, she had no idea.

* * *

Please review!


	3. Chapter 3 Maid to Pay

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 3**

**Maid to Pay**

"Why hello, princess."

"How are you today?"

Kimiko could only blink repeatedly at the two identical boys in front of her, not quite certain that what was happening was actually happening as the boys smiled deviously at her and slung their arms over one another in a manner that was a bit too affectionate for brothers. Her head cocked to the side when a group of nearby girls squealed in sheer delight at the sight of the Hitachin brothers and their apparently 'beautiful, forbidden love'. She wasn't quite sure which twin was Hikaru and which was Kaoru, but at the moment she didn't care, besides it wasn't what was important. What was important was why they were talking to her and giving her smiles that made her feel a little too exposed, but somehow also made her heart speed up just a little in her chest.

"Uhh," was all Kimiko could manage before looking around herself with a rather comical, confused expression thinking that the twins were most likely talking to someone behind her.

There was no one behind her. The immaculate cream colored hall had a steady flow of people, but there was no one close enough to her for her to assume they were talking to anyone but her.

She began thinking to herself, trying to process what was going on, but to no avail, so she finally settled on asking, "Who are you talking to?"

"Why you of course," they both chirped together, leaning in a little closer to her and causing her to lean back in response as she again blinked repeatedly at them.

"Why?" She asked slowly.

The devious grins on the handsome faces of the twins grew and Kimiko began to grow uneasy.

"Why? Did you hear that, Kaoru?" the twin on her right asked, giggling childishly.

"She's so cute," the twin she assumed to be Kaoru replied.

Her uneasiness began to melt away and she quirked a brow at the two, wondering just what they were up to and mentally filing away the only thing she had found different about the two so far: Hikaru parted his hair on the right and swept his bangs to the left while Kaoru did the opposite, he parted his hair on the left and swept it to the right. And if she listened to them more, she knew that she could probably start to tell them apart by their voices as well, she could tell there were definitely differences, it would just take her some more time to figure it out.

"Soooo, was there a point to all of this?" she asked finally regaining herself and relaxing enough to give the two a devilish smile of her own.

"Well you see," Hikaru began.

"We wanted to warn you," Kaoru finished.

"About," she pressed, annoyed that they weren't explaining themselves and with the chattering of the girls around them.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, what are you two up to? Not bothering Kimiko, I hope," another male voice joined in, this one sounded rather arrogant and bland while also sounding just the slightest bit amused.

She knew immediately that the voice belonged to Kyouya Ootori and didn't bother to turn to address or greet him in any way.

"Of course not," the twins replied, innocently shrugging with disinterest.

"Good," Kyouya curtly responded. "So just how is our newest princess doing this morning?" he asked with an easy going smile as he leaned over Kimiko's shoulder to be sure he had her attention.

Tweaking her brow at Kyouya, she gave him a bored look."I'm fine, now if you'll excuse me, the three of you are creeping me out," she answered with no enthusiasm and a forced smile before moving to step around the Hitachins and go into the classroom they had stopped her in front of.

"Actually, I was hoping I could have a word," Kyouya said before she could take more than a step inside the door.

"I'm busy, sorry," Kimiko replied blandly, continuing on her way to her seat.

"Well you're about to get busier, you owe the Host Club a great deal of money after the trouble you've caused us."

Kimiko stopped in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder at Kyouya, who donned a truly amused smirk when he saw the unadulterated disbelief on her face before she could regain her composure.

"Excuse me?"

"The tea set you broke was quite expensive, it was also a set that was specifically made for the Host Club and as such is irreplaceable. Then there's the matter of the table that you broke, it was imported from France and it wasn't cheap. Plus, the scene the other day caused us to have to shut down early. The props and costume rentals as well as the food costs were quite high and we didn't get to make proper use of any of it."

She could feel herself gaping at the grinning Kyouya as he calmly and self-assuredly explained to her how she apparently "owed" the Host Club and though she was aware that she had to look like a complete and utter idiot with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes unblinking and wide, there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and though she had heard that Kyouya was in control of the finances of the Host Club (and it had been mentioned in the brief portfolio she had on him that he could be frugal) she hadn't expected him to ask for repayment over something that had happened on accident and even go so far as to hold her responsible for the actions of the hateful jerk that had hit her in front of them and their customers.

"Kimiko?"

"Huh," she shook her head, finally blinking and snapping back to reality at Kyouya's call.

"You owe us about five million yen."

Her jaw dropped and she was pretty sure that if it dropped any further it might actually hit the floor. Maintaining an air of arrogance and detachment proved to be rather difficult as Kyouya continued on.

"Now, we're willing to work with you on how you repay us. You come work for us and help us keep our clients happy and we'll gladly forget your debt. Plus, you need to join a club, don't you? I'm sure I can pull a few strings and make you our first official female club member."

"I'm not working for you, or joining your silly club," she replied bluntly, spinning on her heel, her dress flowing around her. She moved towards her desk only to pause again when Kyouya started speaking, undeterred by her refusal.

"You only get a small allowance every month and though you have several credit cards that are paid off monthly, you don't ever have much cash, if I'm not mistaken. Are you sure you can pay us back," Kyouya inquired smoothly.

Kimiko's eyes hardened and she clenched her fists, fighting the urge to violently lash out at the nearest object. She was just about to open her mouth to reply none too kindly when a childish male voice interrupted her.

"Tama-chan just told us, is Kimi-chan going to join the club, really? We'll get to hang out with Kimi-chan all the time?"

And that's when Kimiko knew she was screwed, one hopeful, excited look from Hunny as he beamed at her from where he was perched on Mori's back and she couldn't say no. 'Why oh why does he have to be so adorable even though he's older than me,' she groaned to herself.

She glared at Kyouya who was still smiling at her and she knew that he had arranged for this to happen, this was all just a production to him and the others were more than happy to oblige and play along.

She let a small, rueful smile make its way to her face as she looked over at Hunny and Mori. "I won't have time to hang out with you, I'll be too busy working off my debt. It's such a shame too, I'll be too busy to bake any cakes or cookies," she sighed regretfully.

Hunny looked like he was going to cry for her before turning his trembling lower lip to Kyouya who sighed, he hadn't expected her to be able to pull something like that.

"Is that true, Kyo-chan?" Hunny asked, giving Kyouya his famous watery eyed puppy dog look.

She almost felt bad for trying to get out of working for the club by using Hunny's emotions as Mori comfortingly patted his friend's head to console the sniffling blond. When Mori looked over at her, she looked away, he may not have said a word, but she knew that he was aware of what she was doing and he obviously wasn't too pleased with her about it.

"I suppose it depends on how quickly she can get her work completed," Kyouya replied to Hunny's question.

Kimiko bit back a scowl and instead let her stance and face become sad and thoughtful. "Seeing as how I'm a bit spoiled, I'm not accustomed to working and somehow don't think I'll be able to finish quickly. Sorry, Hunny-senpai, but maybe on my days off, if I'm not swamped with homework, which is really unlikely since I'll be working so much and will be so tired all the time..." She trailed off, wondering if she had gone overboard with her story. That's what it was, a story. While it was true she was a bit spoiled, she still knew her way around a kitchen fairly well and had no problem completing most household chores. It had helped pass the time when she was growing up especially when her father was away and she wanted to avoid her mother.

"Honestly," Kyouya sighed, adjusting his glasses again. "This is too much. Kimiko has already said that she would work for us to repay her debt and so she will, but I suppose it wouldn't be too much to ask to give her a day off here and there. Of course she'll have to spend those days with the Host Club so that we can all be sure she completes her homework so that she can spend non-school days with you, Hunny-senpai."

Mori was comforting the distraught Hunny who was sniffling and rubbing at his eyes, but perked up in response to Kyouya's words.

'That calculative jerk,' she thought to herself, no longer trying to keep the scowl from her features as she stared at Kyouya. 'And he's right I did technically imply that I'd work for the club, but I wasn't being serious, I was trying to get out of it. Stupid, stuck up jerk.'

"Really, Kyo-chan, you'll let her have time off so she can spend more time with us when she's not working," Hunny squeaked happily.

'Wait, what?' Kimiko thought, blinking at Hunny who was once again perched on Mori's shoulder. 'Spend more time with _us_, as in _all_ of _them_? No way in hell.'

"She can spend her time however she'd like, Hunny-senpai and if she chooses to spend it with us I have no problem with that," Kyouya answered with yet another smile at Kimiko.

"Yay! Did you hear that, Takashi? Kimi-chan is going to be our new friend and she's going to play with us all the time!"

'Oh, dear lord, if you truly do exist... why?' Kimiko mentally groaned before shooting Kyouya a small glare. "I hate you," she mumbled, ignoring the rest of Hunny's cheers she trudged to her seat and plunked herself down carelessly.

"Welcome to the Host Club, Kimiko, please don't be late for your first meeting this afternoon, right after your last class. We'll be expecting you," Kyouya said to her, genuinely pleased with himself as he addressed her and then turned to head to his own class with the warning bell ringing in the background.

* * *

If she was going to be subjected to the indignity of working for the Host Club then she was going to make sure that on her way there she looked as dignified as possible. Her shoulders were squared and her head held high as she walked with royal elegance down the hallway that would take her to the Host Club's meeting room. There was no expression on her face as she glanced at the sign above the door pronouncing that the room she was about to enter was the third music room, there was another sign that proclaimed the Host Club to be closed for business at the moment just below it. Taking a deep breath and swallowing all of the profanities that she wanted to spew so badly, Kimiko let her small hand close around the shiny golden handle of one of the doors and slowly pushed it open.

"You're late," a voice to her right scolded languorously.

"How am I late?" Kimiko asked Kyouya bitingly. Shutting the door behind herself and she graced him with a cold look. "My class ended a few minutes ago, just as yours did."

"Yes, but the twins and Haruhi are already here and you're all in the same class."

"The twins practically ran here and they dragged me with them, they were excited about Kimiko's first day in the club. If it weren't for that none of us would be here yet and you know it, Kyouya-senpai so take it easy on her will you," Haruhi spoke up, rubbing at her shoulder and shooting shot the twins a glare.

"I suppose you're right, Haruhi, but just don't let it happen again, alright," Kyouya said to Kimiko.

"Uh huh," Kimiko replied boredly. "So what exactly am I supposed to be doing?"

Before Kyouya could reply, the twins who had been off in their own little corner of the room talking animatedly amongst themselves turned towards her with big grins that made Kimiko want to run away and very quickly.

"Well," the two began.

"Since you're the Club's new maid," Hikaru continued.

"We had this made for you," Kaoru finished and with a flourish, he and his brother pulled a mass of fabric from behind their backs and held it out to her.

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing that," Kimiko heatedly stated, her voice rising slightly.

"Aw, come on, it'll look so cute-"

"No," Kimiko snapped, cutting off the twins and glaring at Kyouya.

"What are you looking at me for, I didn't tell them to make you a uniform, but it is a good idea," Kyouya nodded thoughtfully before jotting something down in the black notebook he always had with him that Kimiko had just now noticed.

Turning her attention back to the twins and the black and white maid's dress they were holding out to her, she couldn't fight the scowl that appeared on her face. "I'm not wearing that."

"Yes, you are," Kyouya replied firmly. "After all, if you remain in your school uniform you would blend in with the clients, you won't this way."

"While that actually makes sense," she admitted unwillingly. "I still refuse to wear a maid's uniform. Make me a female version of the male uniform for crying out loud since I'm an actual member of the club," Kimiko protested. "Anything would be better than that," she thrust her finger at the dress the twins were still holding out.

"While I said I'd arrange to have you become a member of the club, the fact remains that you still work for us," Kyouya pointed out.

"Fine, I'll wear the damn dress," Kimiko growled.

"We'll help you," the twins chirped, enthusiastically grabbing on to her elbows and leading her off towards another door.

* * *

"I'm so going to kill you," she seethed, stepping out from behind the curtain the twins had thrust her behind.

"But you look so cute," they cooed.

Her eye began to twitch and she had to blink several times and take a few deep breaths to make it stop. She was wearing a black dress that fell just past her knees and was made just the slightest bit puffy by a few layers of tulle. The bodice of the dress fit snuggly as did the long sleeves, there was white lace lining the somewhat low neckline of the dress and the sleeves as well. A white apron was tied around her waist and that too was trimmed with lace. Her legs were stockinged in white and her feet in an expensive, but very comfortable pair of black heels.

The finishing touch was to pull her long hair into a refined, but at the same time slightly messy bun before slipping a white lacy head band onto her head. This was done by Hikaru and Kaoru, who also manged to touch up her lightly done make up despite her vehement protests.

"All done," the twins declared, leaning back on their heels to examine their work before giving her the thumbs up and tossing aside whatever utensils were in their hands to herd her from the room.

"Stop pushing me, dammit," she demanded, trying to fight off the two boys that were dragging her back into the music room.

"Kimi-chan, so cute!"

It was hard to not glare at Hunny for making an innocent and honest remark, but she was so utterly angry that it was difficult, though she managed a grumbled, "Thank you."

"Don't you think Kimi-chan looks cute, Takashi?" Hunny asked, tilting his head up to beam at his much taller companion.

"Yeah," was the emotionless response. "Cute."

"I never thought I'd hear such a big guy say the word cute," Kimiko mumbled to herself, giving him a small smile and blushing when his face, that she had only ever seen blank, softened slightly.

"Good timing, Hikaru, Kaoru, our guests are about to arrive," Kyouya said. "Kimiko, if you don't mind, would you make some tea and coffee, the pantry cupboards," he nodded towards a door to her left as he spoke. "Should have everything you will need. If you need help with anything, just ask Haruhi, he'd be more than-"

"You mean she, Haruhi is a girl, not a boy," Kimiko cut in.

"You're right, however, I have to ask that you not disclose that information to anyone else, alright?"

"Eh, ok," she replied slowly, a bit frightened by the sly smirk he gave her.

"Come on, I'll show you around, it'll be nice to have some help for once, lord knows they're all useless," Haruhi sighed as she walked up to Kimiko and jerked a thumb behind her at the entire Host Club.

"Useless," Tamaki mumbled, a lost and saddened look crossing his face as he stared at Haruhi and nibbled at his thumb like a child. "Did you hear that? Haruhi thinks her daddy is useless."

"Well, you kind of are, boss," the twins piped up, leaning against one another as they stared at Tamaki.

"Is he alright," Kimiko asked Haruhi when Tamaki hunched himself up in a dark, gloomy corner and began mumbling to himself while using his finger to trace seemingly random patterns on the floor.

"Hm? Oh, that's normal for Tamaki-senpai, just ignore him."

"Will do," Kimiko replied under her breath.

'Just what have I gotten myself into this time,' she thought to herself as she was shown around the rather large pantry. 'This is going to be a very interesting school year, not to mention if my mom or Katsuro find out that I'm a member of an all male, well supposedly all male, Host Club, I'm going to be in for a world of trouble.'

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4 Up To Something

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

**Chapter 4**

**Up To Something**

"Wow, you're actually pretty good at this," Haruhi observed, watching Kimiko scurry around the pantry, setting up tea trays and making the tea.

"My dad wasn't always around much and my mother was never very attentive, so I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen with the cooks and maids. I would help out a lot, but when my mom found out, she was livid that I was doing the chores of a servant, but dad had apparently always known and said he hadn't stopped me because he wanted me to be self sufficient and to not always rely on money to do everything for me. Besides, I'm a woman, rich or not, and eventually will need to be able to run my own household, better to be prepared, no?" Kimiko replied.

"Yeah, I guess so," Haruhi said with a smile.

"Haruhi, the guests are about to arrive, you need to be out here to greet them," Kyouya called into the room, his tall, thin frame appearing a moment later. "I'm sure Kimiko can manage on her own for now."

Kimiko glanced coldly at Kyouya before looking over to Haruhi. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Thank you for your help." She gave Haruhi a reassuring, but somewhat blank, smile and watched her leave before going back to setting up beautiful silver trays with varying expensive tea sets. "Was there something else you needed, Kyouya?" She inquired tersely, letting her green eyes corner over to the boy who was still standing in the doorway, watching her, his gray eyes hidden behind the lenses of his glasses.

"Actually there was," he answered, stepping into the room and pulling the door shut behind him.

Not being entirely fond of being alone in a room with a male, even if she knew that Kyouya wouldn't hurt her like some other men she knew, it didn't make it much easier to remain unaffected. Her heart beat sped up and she was careful to watch Kyouya out of the corners of her eyes as she finished setting up one final tray of tea, her hands shaking ever so slightly now that Kyouya was only a few feet away.

"You're uncomfortable," Kyouya stated.

"I'm fine," Kimiko replied bluntly, not looking up at him as she prepared to pick up the first tea tray. "Was that all?"

"Your fiance, I've made arrangements so that he can't get near you while you're here."

Kimiko's eyes widened and she looked up at Kyouya with uncertainty and surprise.

"You seem surprised," Kyouya said, smiling falsely at her. "It would be troublesome if he were to cause another scene like the one the other day."

"Oh, right. Thank you," she awkwardly replied.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't do this for you, but for the welfare of the club. I'll leave you be now, the guests should be here and I'm sure they'd like their tea."

It took her a moment to recover from the shock of hearing that Kyouya had arranged for Katsuro to be kept away from her while she was with the Host Club and when she did, she was almost grateful to the Ootori third son. Almost, but she knew that what he said was true. He hadn't done what he had for her benefit, but the benefit of the club and in the long run, himself.

What she was most concerned about though was what he had to gain by having her join the club, she was well aware that the amount he said she owed the club was about ten times too much for what she had broken. He was up to something, they were all up to something, but the only one she knew she had to keep on eye on was Kyouya. After all, he could benefit the most from her friendship.

"Kyouya," she called after him before he could leave the room.

"Yes?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you. You said that I would be working for the club, but you also said I'd be a member. Which is it?"

"Technically, you're a member, but you're a member whose main job is to assist me in any way I see fit."

"I see," she replied blandly. "I'm your assistant, interesting. If that's the case then perhaps I can see the little notes I'm sure you made about how much I _actually_ owe the club?"

A small smirk tweaked his lips upward at Kimiko's request, but he covered it with a quick adjustment to his glasses. "The tea's getting cold," was his only response before he left the room.

Kimiko allowed a smile to form on her lips and glanced at the tall boy's back as he retreated into the main room. "I don't know what you're up to, but I will find out," she muttered to herself, picking up the first tray of tea.

* * *

As the week went on, Kimiko continued to make her way to the Third Music Room every day after her last class. She served tea and snacks and made small talk with the guests and hosts, all with a smile on her face and not a single complaint.

So far nothing had gone wrong, Katsuro had no suspicions about what she was doing after class, neither did her mother or anyone who could possibly tell either one of them. She knew that eventually that would all change, but at the moment she didn't care. She still hadn't learned what the real reasons for having her join the club were, actually she hadn't learned anything outside of the fact that Kyouya was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave the club room. The only reason that this turned out to be of any importance was because in the five days she had been "assisting" him he had shown up late three days and had left early all but the first day she was there.

All without an explanation.

Kimiko would have loved to follow him, knowing that wherever he was going would give her a clue as to what he was up to. And it was what he was up to that interested her. Instead though she was forced to fake a smile and act as a servant for the entire club. She didn't mind Haruhi, Hunny or Mori at all, they weren't very demanding or annoying, the twins and Tamaki on the other hand...Well they had a tendency to forget that Kimiko wasn't an actual servant and her background and pedigree was just as good as theirs.

By the time the week came to an end and she was headed home for the weekend, she had a severe migraine and felt as if her cheeks were going to fall off from smiling so much. She was tired from working so much harder than she was used to, serving tea and snacks, cleaning the dishes and tidying the entire room up wasn't easy work.

Even though she would be spending the weekend in the same house as her mother, she was still glad just to have some time away from the Host Club and to just be alone. The entire ride home she spent with her eyes closed and relishing the silence that she was looking forward to being able to take advantage of for the weekend.

Kimiko knew something was wrong the second she set foot in the house, she had an urge to just turn around and leave and never come back, but she knew that wasn't possible. Whether she liked it or not, she was only sixteen and forced to abide by the rules her mother set for her. Taking a deep breath, she began the climb up the stairs to her rooms.

She could feel her heart racing in her chest, it was far too quiet and a sense of foreboding washed over her, making her ridiculously nervous. Grasping the knob of the door that led into her outer room which consisted of a large, comfortable living area and a desk, her hand shook as she pushed the door open.

The door had barely closed, trapping her in the darkness that covered her room since someone had drawn the curtains over her windows when she let out a surprised, choked yell as a body collided with hers. She moved her arms to try and shove the person off of her, but her wrists were immediately captured in a strong grip and pinned to her sides. She was slammed into the wall hard enough to make her vision black out for a few seconds and make her head spin so fast she thought she was going to be sick.

"You little whore."

"What are you talking about, Katsuro?" Kimiko said, struggling to sound calm as her body was crushed by his.

"You were with the Host Club again," he hissed.

"What I do on my own time-" She was silenced when she clenched her eyes shut and pain shot up her arms as Katsuro's hands tightened around her wrists.

"You don't have your own time, your time belongs to me. So why don't you explain to me why you were with the Host Club."

"I didn't have a choice," she replied shakily. "I broke a tea set and a table on accident when I went with that Tatsuya girl. Since they don't take credit cards and I don't have much actual cash, I'm paying them back by working for them."

Before she could even realize what was happening she was hurtling towards the floor with no way to stop herself. Crying out in shock and pain as she slammed into the wooden floor, Kimiko squeezed her eyes shut and fought to hold back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes as she pushed her way up and onto her side. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of her room and she could see Katsuro looming over her like a giant.

He snorted. "Working for them, huh? You really are a whore. I'll take care of this, stay away from them, do you understand?"

Kimiko didn't reply, she just glared at him which only made Katsuro lean down closer to her. She tossed her head to the side and cried out in pain when her jaw was forcefully grabbed and she was made to look up at Katsuro.

"You might not like it, but you do belong to me and you will do as I tell you to. Or do I need to take you to your mother and tell her what you've been up to," he threatened.

She remained silent again, defiantly narrowing her eyes until Katsuro dug his fingers into her jaw. Tears sprang into her eyes, she whimpered and then nodded, knowing there was nothing she could do and she might as well get used to being Katsuro's play thing.

"Good girl, you're finally catching on."

When she was released from the rough hold she had been locked in, Kimiko refused to look at Katsuro and instead stared despairingly at the ground.

* * *

Kimiko ignored everyone and everything in classes after the weekend ended and school was back in session, she wore her hair down and more make up than usual to cover the discolored marks on her chin and cheeks. Her wrists were bruised as well, but the sleeves of the dress hid most of the purple marks. She didn't speak and if anyone spoke to her, she merely glanced at them coldly before turning her attention elsewhere.

By the time lunch rolled around she was looking forward to eating alone in a corner somewhere, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. She made it two steps out of the classroom before Katsuro appeared beside her and slung an arm over her shoulders.

"You're eating with me from now on since I need to keep an eye on you," he told her when she gave him an uncertain look.

She didn't respond verbally, she knew that was not what he wanted. He wanted her to be a weak and submissive little girl. All she did was nod her head once and turn her attention to the path they were walking. Her green eyes didn't meet anyone else's as she was led through the school and into the dining room. She could feel a number of eyes on her, but she resisted the urge to look and see who her admirers were. She had a general idea as to who they were anyways.

It surprised her when Katsuro suddenly halted in front of a table instead of the ordering station, his fingers dug into her shoulder to stop her from walking any further and she couldn't hide the wince that the pain caused her. Blinking, she slowly looked up, dreading what she would see when she did. Her heart nearly sank in her chest when she saw that the entire Host Club was seated along the table they had stopped before.

Her eyes flicked from person to person in quick succession and she could see the tension in them all, the only one who seemed fairly relaxed was Kyouya and somehow that didn't surprise her.

"Katsuro, what are-"

"Shut up," he commanded bluntly.

"Sorry," she muttered, lowering her head and carefully avoiding the gazes of just about everyone at the table. She knew they were all looking at her, she could feel their stares on the top of her head.

"The Host Club and I have something to discuss, be a good girl and stay quiet," Katsuro ordered her roughly, squeezing her shoulder and waiting for her to nod her head in understanding before releasing the pressure and turning his attention directly onto Kyouya.

"If you have something you would like to say, Harashi-san," Kyouya said. "Then I suggest you say it. You're making Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai a bit upset with how you're treating Kimiko."

"How I treat my fiance is none of their concern, they should mind their own business," Katsuro retorted.

Kimiko heard the quiet sound of a chair being pushed back and she pursed her lips, hoping that no one was going to try and come to her rescue. They would only cause more trouble for her, not help her. She heard someone say something quietly and she was pretty sure that it was Mori that had stood, but she wasn't positive and she wasn't about to glance up to see if she was right or not.

"But while we're on the topic of my fiance, I'd like to inform you that Kimiko will no longer be able to work for you. Whatever debt she supposedly has with you I'll take care of, after that I'd like it if none of you ever came near her again," Katsuro explained. "Do we have an understanding?"

Kyouya pushed his glasses up on his nose as everyone looked at him, he sat back in his seat, folding his arms casually over his chest and taking his time to reply. "Yes, of course, we never meant to cause any trouble after all."

Every one of the Hosts seemed surprised that Kyouya was agreeing to Katsuro's demands and they all turned their heads to stare at the vice president in confusion. It had been his idea to have Kimiko join the club and he had been the one to set up the entire thing so they didn't understand why he was so quick to agree when he had obviously wanted Kimiko in the club. However, they all knew Kyouya well enough to know that he probably had a plan and reasons for doing what he was doing, so they all remained quiet and trusted in him.

"I expect to hear from you by the end of the day regarding the amount that Kimiko still owes you, you'll have the money by tomorrow. From here on out none of you are to have any contact with her, if I find out that-"

"I think we understand, Harashi-san," Kyouya cut in. "Now if that was all, then perhaps the two of you should get something to eat before it's too late."

Katsuro glared at the relaxed Kyouya, grunting in annoyance and anger at having been so casually dismissed and gruffly led Kimiko away from the table.

"I'm confused, Kyouya, didn't you want Kimiko-hime in the club?" Tamaki asked his best friend who had gone back to delicately eating his lunch.

"What gave you that idea, Tamaki? I don't care if she's in the club or not," he replied disinterestedly.

The twins exchanged glances and shrugged as if they had had an entire conversation that no one else was privy to.

Tamaki frowned at his friend's answer, but didn't appear to want to pursue the issue any further.

"Poor Kimi-chan, now we aren't even allowed to talk to her," Hunny sadly added. "We only wanted to help her, right, Takashi?"

"Yeah, but I think we caused more trouble for her."

"I guess if we want to help her, we have to be more discreet from now on," Tamaki sighed.

"Or we can just leave her alone," Haruhi added. "She hasn't asked for our help and it seems like we'd only be making life more difficult for her if we keep trying to help her."

"Haruhi is right," Kyouya spoke up. "We've only caused her more difficulty, I assume you all noticed the extra make up she was wearing and the way she's been hiding behind her hair all day. There's nothing that any of you can do to help her."

Resigned nods and sighs escaped everyone at the table except for Tamaki who was studying Kyouya curiously, having noticed that his friend had said there was nothing that any of them could do, it might not have seemed like much, but he hadn't included himself in the statement and made Tamaki think that the boy was up to something. The blond smiled brilliantly when Kyouya turned to look at him coldly, having felt his eyes on him for several minutes.

* * *

"Do we have an agreement," a young man with dark hair asked the couple that sat beside one another on a comfortable, modern white leather couch.

The man and woman exchanged glances, the man seemed rather unhappy, but he nodded nonetheless. The woman smirked and turned her green eyes back to the young man standing in front of them.

"We have a deal," she answered.

"Good," the young man replied, his tone clipped and bland as he pushed his glasses up his slim nose. "I expect everything we discussed to be taken care of by the end of the month."

"Not a problem as long as you keep your end of the bargain," the woman replied.

"Of course, all that you need to do is sign those documents and I'll arrange for the funds to be transferred immediately," he nodded to a manila envelope on the glass top table between himself and the couple. "If you don't uphold your end of the contract though, I'll be sure to-"

"There's no need to worry about that, you're taking a lot of trouble off of my hands. I couldn't be more grateful."

Eying the woman for a moment, the young man nodded stiffly. "Then I'll leave you to look over the contract, I'll have it retrieved later. I'm sure I've mentioned it already, but I'd like this matter to be between us and only us, there's no need for anyone else to now the truth of what's going on. It would complicate matters and I don't like complications."

"There will be no complications, you have my word," the woman finished her statement with a devious smirk as she picked the manila envelope up from the table.

* * *

"Kimiko, Katsuro, would the two of you come here please."

Kimiko looked up at her mother and blinked, the petite woman seemed happy, almost excited about something as she smiled at she and Katsuro. Discomfort washed over her as she followed after her mother and it only grew when they walked into the large office that was housed on the first floor of the house to see that her mother's husband, Takahashi, was there as well, looking unhappy and rather angry.

"What is this about, uncle?" Katsuro asked.

"We have some bad news for the two of you," Kimiko's other answered, leaning into the desk and folding her arms over her chest.

Katsuro scowled, not pleased with the lack of an actual answer to his question. "What are you talking about, Sumi?"

"Your uncle and I have decided to move back to the United States."

"We're moving?" Kimiko asked, confused.

"That's not what I said, I said that Katsuro's uncle and I were moving."

"I.. don't understand what you're saying."

"You won't be joining us, Kimiko, you'll stay here in this house and continue going to school. Katsuro will be staying as well, only not here or even at Ouran Academy. He will be returning to his previous high school-"

"What?" Katsuro snapped angrily. "I'm not leaving Ouran and letting Kimiko stay here by herself-"

"Didn't I mention," Sumi cut in innocently. "Kimiko is no longer your concern, your engagement has been ended."

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5 A New Game

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 5**

**A New Game**

There were no words to express her shock at hearing that she was no longer engaged to the rage possessed boy next to her. She remained completely silent, her eyes wide as Katsuro let his anger take over. He was shaking as he glared at her mother, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"What do you mean she's no longer my fiance?" he growled menacingly, his face distorting into an angry snarl. "You were the one who wanted us to get married."

"And now I'm changing my mind," Sumi replied with an arrogant sweetness that only further incensed Katsuro who took a step towards the dark haired woman.

The desk chair scraped against the floor as Katsuro's uncle, Takahashi, stood from behind the desk and drew himself up to his full height of nearly six and a half feet. "It's no longer in the best interest of the family that you marry into the Aratoshi family, do you have any problems with that, Katsuro?"

Katsuro ground his teeth as he gazed harshly at his imposing uncle. "No," he ground out after several moments of a tense staring contest.

"Good, then get out," Takahashi ordered, his voice deep and commanding as he once again took his seat.

Kimiko couldn't even bring herself to look at Katsuro as he stalked past her, slamming the door of the study behind him, making her jump despite the fact that she had expected the loud noise. She blinked up at her mother and Takahashi, not sure what to do, she was still quite confused at to what had just happened.

"You can run along now, Kimi, I've nothing else to say to you," her mother said to her, addressing her like she was an incompetent child.

She didn't budge and she knew she would probably regret it, but she wanted to know. "Why? Why would you cancel the engagement and then move back to the United States and leave me here? You've always hated me because I would get everything that my Father inherited as well as everything he built up on his own. By forcing me to marry Katsuro, your husband's nephew, you were hoping to control everything that should be mine, so why would you break it off and then leave?"

Her mother's green eyes narrowed and she slid away from the desk, leaning closer to her as she spoke. "I don't need a reason, Kimi," she replied bitterly. "You are my daughter and you will do as I say, now off to bed like a good little girl."

"So I'm no longer engaged?"

"No, you're no longer engaged to Katsuro, but if you insist on questioning me further I can always change my mind."

Kimiko stared defiantly at her mother for a moment before giving up and leaving.

It proved to be difficult to focus on her homework, she kept messing up on her math problems and couldn't read her English assignment without re-reading the same line at least four times. Finally, irritated with her inability to focus, she closed her books and dropped her head onto the sleek surface of her black glass top desk.

Something wasn't sitting well with her. She knew her mother and she knew that there was no way that the woman would have decided to end her engagement with Katsuro on a simple whim. There had to be something more to it than that, she was _certain_ there was something more to it, but she had no idea what and no way of finding out without pressing her luck with her mother and likely getting hurt in the process.

Heaving a sigh, she let the cool glass soothe her forehead and closed her green eyes. "I wonder what she's gotten me into this time. There's no possible way that she just decided out of the goodness of her heart to break off my engagement. There has to be a reason and there had to have been some profit in it for her." Her words were little more than mumbles as she thought out loud, trying to understand why her engagement had been broken.

Not that she was complaining, she was glad to no longer be engaged to the abusive jerk, but she didn't like the circumstances. It just wasn't like her mother and it definitely wasn't like her step-father to do anything without thinking of what was in it for them. The only thing that Kimiko could think of was that they had found something more lucrative and beneficial for themselves in not marrying her off to Katsuro. What that could possibly be, she didn't know and her mind kept going round and round trying to come up with something that would bring them more wealth than having Katsuro run her father's business through her. In the end, she couldn't come up with anything and decided to just let things be and hope that there would be nothing for her to worry about.

* * *

Throughout classes and up until lunch time Kimiko managed to ignore everyone and everything around her. It was fairly easy to do since most of the female students kept their distance from her, she had a tendency to be a bit mean and cold, a trait the girls here found intimidating. The male students just ignored her, they had heard about Katsuro confronting the Host Club in his jealous fit and wanted nothing to do with her. She didn't mind in the least. It made things much simpler for her when no one was bothering to try and get close to her.

When lunch began she made her way to the cafeteria alone and ordered some mineral water and a salmon salad with a very interesting lemon champagne vinaigrette. Trying to find a quiet and isolated place to eat didn't look possible, so she was going to go and eat in the classroom, but then remembered that Haruhi almost always ate there. As much as she liked Haruhi, she wanted to be alone with her still jumbled thoughts. So she figured she would go and eat in Music Room number 3, there was no club activity at the moment so she figured the room would be empty.

Making her way to the music room was easy, the ornate, overly lavish halls were empty and quiet with the majority of the students in the high school wing of the school being in the cafeteria or standing in the gardens, gossiping to their heart's content. When she pushed the door to the music room open, she slowly peeked inside to be sure that it really was empty, having no desire to see any of the Host Club members, and silently thankful that because of Katsuro's actions, they would hopefully leave her be from that point on.

"Kimi-chan," a boyish voice called excitedly, breaking the peaceful silence of the corridor.

Kimiko started, the sudden shout had caught her off guard as she was pushing the door open with one hand while balancing her tray on the other. She cried out in alarm as the tray tottered and she hastily removed her hand from the door to try and steady it. Her efforts were in vain. There was a loud clatter as her lunch slid from her tray and onto the ground, spilling much of its contents on her dress, before several of the dishes broke and the silver tray clanged down on top of all of it. Looking down at the mess, Kimiko never noticed the rather heavy door that was swinging shut behind her until it nudged her forward, causing her to take a step and slip in the oily mess on the marble floor.

Cringing and shutting her eyes against the coming pain of the impact that she knew was coming, Kimiko was surprised and let out a squeal to express this as she was suddenly caught in strong arms and hefted off the ground. Blinking in confusion, she opened her eyes to stare up into the brownish gray eyes of Mori.

"Ehh..."

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice a deep monotone that somehow had the power to make Kimiko blush and even stutter over her answer.

"I'm fine," she finally managed to spit out with a nervous laugh since she was still in his arms, well arm really, he was only using one to hold her to his chest.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry, Kimi-chan," Hunny said to her, popping his head over Mori's shoulder after apparently climbing up the boy's back like he was a tree and giving her a very sad, apologetic look.

"It's ok, Hunny-senpai, I'm fine thanks to Mori-senpai," she managed to give both boys a small, but embarrassed smile and was stunned when Mori actually returned her smile with a faint one of his own.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

Kimiko sighed and forced herself not to roll her eyes as she heard the unmistakably cool, arrogant voice of none other than Kyouya Ootori.

"Kimi-chan was going to eat lunch with us in the club room, but I scared her on accident and she dropped her food and got her dress all dirty," Hunny replied, looking like a child who expected a scolding. "I'm sorry, Kimi-chan," he suddenly cried, leaning over Mori's shoulder and throwing his arms around her neck and holding on to her even though she was still for some inexplicable reason in Mori's grasp.

"H-Hunny-senpai, it's just a silly uniform, I can buy another one," Kimiko choked out, patting his head as reassuringly as possible.

"Actually."

"There's no need."

Blinking over to the new voices, Kimiko wasn't all that surprised to see that the twins had shown up out of seemingly nowhere from behind Kyouya and were looking at her with a devilish glint in their eyes.

"Why is there no need?" Kimiko asked cautiously, her brows pulling downwards as she frowned at them.

The smiles on their faces grew and Kimiko had a very sudden urge to run away very fast. An urge she was finding was normal when around the trouble making duo. Only she knew that the two of them, with their longer legs, would catch her quickly.

"Eh, Mori-senpai, I don't suppose you'd mind running in the other direction, would you?" Kimiko asked with a worried, forced chuckle before squealing when she was pulled from the tall boy's grasp and practically dragged through the doors of the club room, Hikaru on her left and Kaoru on her right, their arms linked with hers as they pulled her.

"Don't worry, Mori-senpai," Kaoru said, grinning at the dark haired senior over his shoulder.

"We'll take good care of her," Hikaru finished with a large grin. He and Kaoru tugged Kimiko into the dressing room, the door shutting behind them with an ominous thud.

"Well, I suppose we should get back to lunch," Kyouya stated blandly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he turned and walked away from the music room.

Mori and Hunny exchanged glances, their attention briefly shifting to the door Kimiko had been dragged through when a shout had echoed through it. Not wanting to get involved in the twins' antics, the two pretended as if nothing happened and went on their merry way back to the cafeteria.

* * *

"There is no way in hell that I'm wearing that," Kimiko stubbornly informed the two brown haired twins that were blinking innocently at her.

They stood on either side of a mannequin that was dressed in a female version of the boy's uniform, only instead of pants, there was a short black skirt. The only other notable difference was that the blazer was a bit longer and more form fitting than the male uniforms.

"But your dress is dirty," Kaoru pointed out.

"I'm aware and I don't care, I'll just wipe it off," she replied, trying to walk past them since they were blocking her way to the door. She didn't make it very far before a cup of cold coffee splashed down the front of her yellow uniform, staining most of the skirt a pale brown.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Hikaru said innocently when Kimiko glared up at him.

"Now you'll really have to change, you're a mess," Kaoru sighed, turning his head away as if she was too disgusting to look at.

"You're mistaking me for someone who actually cares," Kimiko retorted, sticking her chin high in the air in a gesture of defiance. "Can I go now? I have no intention of being treated like your play thing."

"Nope," the two chirped, ignoring her comment about her being their play thing.

"If you won't put the uniform on," Kaoru began, a sultry tone creeping into his voice as he took a few steps towards her.

"Then we'll just have to do it for you," Hikaru finished, flashing a mischievous smile her way before advancing on her.

Kimiko tweaked a brow at the two, she didn't believe that they would really do it and decided to call their bluff. "Ok," she replied, shrugging a shoulder carelessly before lifting her arms out to her sides. She almost couldn't fight the smirk that threatened to break out over her face when the two boys stopped and blinked at one another. "I thought so..." she let the end of her statement trail off uncertainly when the boys too shrugged, the mischievous glint back in their eyes as they approached her. "Wait, wait, wait! I'll change!"

"We win," they cheered, clapping their hands together and smiling triumphantly.

Her shoulders slumping forward, Kimiko sighed and resignedly took the bundle of clothes that were thrust into her arms before being pushed behind the changing curtain. Removing the stained and soggy dress and letting it fall to the ground carelessly, she was glad that the skirt of the dress was thick and made up of several layers of fabric that hadn't allowed any of the coffee to reach her skin. There was however, food on her stockings and shoes, so she kicked those off as well.

She slid into the skirt, dismayed by just how short it really was, though glad that it wasn't too revealing at the same time. She took her time in buttoning up the white shirt and putting on the jacket that reached about two inches above the skirt's hem. The tie was presenting her with a problem, she had never had to tie one before and was uncertain how to do so. Taking a quick glance at herself in the large full length mirror that was set up in the corner, she was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. The uniform fit her well and suited her better than the bright yellow of the dress she had been wearing, she didn't want to admit it aloud, but she actually really liked the ensemble even if the skirt was a little short for her tastes.

"Are you done yet?"

"This is taking forever."

"Stop your whining," Kimiko replied, stepping from behind the curtain and not noticing that the twins jolted when they saw her, Kaoru's jaw even fell open as he stared at her, something Hikaru noticed and with a curiously raised brow reached over to close for him. "My stockings are dirty, I hope you have another pair hidden somewhere and how am I supposed to tie this thing?" She asked, looking up and waving the tie at them. "What?" she asked when all she got was a blank stare from Kaoru and a look bordering on annoyed from Hikaru.

Recovering from his slight stupor, Kaoru blinked and walked behind Kimiko. "Here, allow me to tie it for you, princess," he purred, leaning over her to tie the black and purple tie that was hanging around her neck.

"Uh, thanks, Kaoru," Kimiko replied, trying to ignore the way his hot breath was splashing across her neck.

"I'm Kaoru," Hikaru spoke up. "He's-"

"No, you're Hikaru," Kimiko cut in. "He's Kaoru," she added, pointing over her shoulder at the younger twin.

"No-"

"Lighten up, Hikaru, she got it right."

"Just a lucky guess," Hikaru snorted.

"Did I do something wrong?" Kimiko leaned back to quietly inquire. "He seems mad."

"He's just jealous that I tied your tie for you, he'll be fine in a minute."

"Uh huh."

"So how were you able to tell us apart?" Kaoru asked.

"Your voices are a little different, it's easier to tell when you two aren't talking together. That and Hikaru's eyes have a slight yellow tint to them that makes him look a bit more evil."

Kaoru snickered as Hikaru glared indignantly at Kimiko.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked as her hair was pulled free of the bun she had had it in, the hair tie being pulled free.

"You look better with your hair down," Kaoru replied, running his fingers through her hair that was now in loose waves from having been coiled in a bun all day and pulling out the pins that had helped to keep it neat.

"But it's in my face," she complained stubbornly, trying to get her hair tie back from the taller boy who was grinning at her vain attempts.

"You're really not that scary once you get to know you, it's cute," Kaoru teased, continuing to hold the tie just out of her reach.

Annoyed with the teasing, Kimiko tried to leap for the tie, one hand on Kaoru's chest for support and the other reaching for the tie. She smirked when her fingers brushed over the object, but it faltered when she lost her balance when she landed partially on Kaoru's foot. With a cry of surprise, she tried to grab onto Kaoru to keep from falling, but knocked him off balance in doing so. The startled boy and her plummeted to the ground, Kimiko landing on top of a surprised and blushing Kaoru that could only dazedly blink at her.

"Ow," she groaned, pushing herself up, one hand on either side of the boy and blushing when she realized the position they were in with her pretty much straddling him. Scrambling to her feet and smoothing her skirt, she refused to look at Kaoru. "Sorry, are-"

"Kaoru, are you alright?" Hikaru cried, running to his brother's side worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's not like she's very heavy or anything, really."

"What were you doing, you could have really hurt him," Hikaru snapped, turning on Kimiko and stunning her to silence.

"Hikaru, it was an accident," Kaoru explained, standing up to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "What's gotten into you?"

"I-I'm sorry, excuse me," Kimiko stuttered out, she was confused as to what had just happened and though she was accustomed to being yelled at and blamed for things, she was very sensitive and she hardly knew the boy that was glaring at her. She gave a quick bow before turning and leaving the room.

"Do you think she knows she's not wearing any socks or shoes?" Kaoru asked as he watched her go.

Hikaru blinked after her before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Wait, Kimi-chan, your shoes!"

Kimiko stopped abruptly and looked down at her feet with a blank expression for a moment and then turned back around to walk back to the dressing room, where Hikaru was still laughing at her.

"I'm glad I could entertain you," she said stiffly. "But who the hell said you could call me Kimi-chan?" She snapped, smacking him upside the head and putting her hands on her hips as he fell onto his butt on the floor to keep laughing at her as he clutched at his sides. She turned to blink at Kaoru as he too erupted into fits of laughter. "You two are absolutely impossible," she sighed, shaking her head as she smiled at the laughing brothers, glad that whatever had happened to cause the older twin to be mad at her had passed.

* * *

"They're all staring and I get this strange feeling that if I look behind me I'll see a hoarde of girls that want to tear my flesh from my bones."

"Then don't look behind you," Hikaru and Kaoru chorused, making Kimiko groan and slump forward slightly.

The three were walking through the halls, heading back to class and being that Kimiko was now in a different uniform and had both twins comfortably resting their arms over her shoulders as they walked she was the center of everyone's attention.

"Stand up straight," Hikaru scolded.

"And stop scowling," Kaoru added.

"You look constipated."

"Why you," Kimiko growled, attempting to lunge for Hikaru, but was held back the tightening of Kaoru's arm around her shoulders.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, leaning his head very close to hers and nodding to a group of girls that looked about to pounce on her.

"They won't actually attack me...will they?" she asked, wearily looking up at Kaoru.

"Of course not, just don't make any sudden movements," this time it was Hikaru that leaned in.

"What are you two doing to Kimiko-san?" Haruhi asked a look on her face that reminded Kimiko of a mother as the three walked into their classroom together.

"Nothing," the two replied innocently.

"Except scarring her for life," Hikaru mumbled as he scratched his head and looked away. "But it's fun, so it's ok, right?"

"I'm sorry," Haruhi told Kimiko as she sank into her seat in front of Kaoru. "But don't worry they'll lose interest...eventually."

"No we won't," the two sang together, tossing their arms around each other.

"Kimi-chan is just so much fun to torture, I mean play with," Hikaru grinned.

"I am not a toy!"

"See."

* * *

"And where is it that you think you're going?"

Kimiko paused and looked from the car she was about to step into to the black haired boy that was leaning casually against one of the stone statues that adorned the steps leading from the school."Are you stalking me or something because you seem to turn up quite often, Kyouya."

An empty chuckle answered her sarcastic remark as Kyouya, his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face, stepped away from the statue he had been using as a resting place. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid I'm not stalking you, though in your new uniform it's easy to see why you would think that was a possibility. The twins did an excellent job, as usual."

Raising a brow at the strange compliment, Kimiko regarded Kyouya boredly. "They did, but somehow I doubt that's why you were standing there, waiting for me."

"You never showed up for Host Club duty, I thought you might have forgotten that you still owe us-"

"I haven't forgotten anything, but apparently you have," she interrupted. "Or do you not remember that Katsuro, my fiance, asked you to stay away from me and took care of my debt with you?"

"Katsuro is no longer your fiance and he never settled your debt since he withdrew from Ouran this morning," Kyouya replied a smile on his lips as answered her.

Kimiko frowned, she had the strange feeling that the black haired, gray eyed boy in front of her knew something that she didn't and it made her want to know what. "You're quite well informed, aren't you?"

"I just like to know what's going on in the lives of the club members, that's all."

"Sticking your nose in other people's business isn't a very respectable trait, it's also dangerous, someone might accidentally cut it off."

Chuckling, Kyouya said, "You can be quite scary when you're angry."

"Glad you think so. If you had a point in coming here, I suggest you spit it out, I'm becoming impatient," Kimiko stated coldly.

"Your debt hasn't been settled, you still owe the Host Club and since there is no longer any problem with you attending after school activities, I expect that you will still honor our agreement by working for and with the club as its only, recognized, female member."

Setting her jaw, Kimiko stared narrow eyed and stonily at the black haired boy whose eyes were partly hidden from her view due to the glare from the sun that was reflecting off of his glasses.

Seeing that Kimiko wasn't going to respond, Kyouya decided to continue. "You're already a member and I even went through the trouble of making sure that there would be no problem in allowing you to wear a different uniform from the rest of the female student body. The price of the uniform has been added to your debt by the way, but that's beside the point. We had an arrangement, did we not?"

Kimiko grasped tightly to the door of the waiting car, not failing to notice that Haka was standing fairly close to her, but in a way that put him between herself and Kyouya. Taking a deep breath, she released the door and straightened. "We did have an arrangement, how silly of me to have forgotten," she said, waving Haka aside.

"It's not a problem, the last few days have been trying, I'm sure," Kyouya replied, smiling at her as he held an arm out for her to take.

"Yes, indeed they have." She took the offered arm with a forced, but mildly sweet tone. She didn't speak again until they were walking through the halls of the school. "You know something more about the ending of my engagement to Katsuro, don't you?"

"Why would I know something you didn't?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Slipping her arm out of his, she walked beside him silently the rest of the way to the music room.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6 Why Me

Disclaimer- I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, and that is getting old to have to type at the beginning of every chapter. Just so you know. Anyways, on with the story...

**Chapter 6**

**Why Me**

"Kimi-chan!"

The unsuspecting brunette let out a choked squeal as she stepped through the doors to the Host Club and found her slender neck suddenly entangled in a pair of small arms that were much stronger than she would have thought. Being so caught off guard, she teetered on her heels and began to fall backwards, her attacker, Hunny, in tow. Somehow she wasn't that surprised by the strong pair of blue covered arms that were suddenly hooked under her own and were hefting her back on to her own feet.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai," she breathed in relief, smiling over her shoulder at him when Hunny jumped off her and grinned up at her, his stuffed rabbit in his arms.

Her response was a light pat on the head and a slight tilting upwards of the corners of the taller boy's lips.

"Kimi-chan! Kimi-chan! Do you want to have cake with us?" Hunny asked innocently, his big brown eyes staring expectantly at her as thoughts of sweets danced happily in his mind.

She was about to reply, but was unable to do so when Kyoya appeared beside her, a smile loosely plastered on his face and his little black notebook in his arms that she was certain he hadn't been carrying a minute before.

"Sorry, Hunny-senpai but Kimiko isn't here to visit, she's a club member and more specifically, she's my assistant. She's here to work, just like the rest of us," Kyoya informed the smaller senior.

Kimiko snorted, folding her arms over her chest and turning to glare out one of the large windows in the back of the room. "Work, you sit around and eat expensive food all while you spew nonsense at a bunch of moronic little girls," she grumbled crossly.

"Did you say something, Kimiko," Kyoya asked conversationally, turning his fake smile to Kimiko as he adjusted his glasses.

"Only that you're the most handsome man here and I have no idea how I'll keep my wits about me when I work for such a fine male specimen," Kimiko replied with a sarcastic, yet bitter smile as she blinked at the other boy. By now, Hunny had bounded off in search of sweets and of course that meant that Mori as well had ventured away, leaving her alone with the arrogant and most of the time cold Ootori.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Kyoya told her, an amused glint in his eyes. "But you get an A for effort."

Rolling her green eyes and sighing agitatedly, Kimiko asked, "You took time out of your busy schedule to come and retrieve me, but I see no guests, so why am I here?"

"There will be no guests today," he informed her. "Today we will be planning the upcoming Christmas party, which you are expected to attend as a member of the club, of course. We will also be discussing the terms of your debt."

"Sounds utterly delightful," she said with mock cheer and an exaggerated toss of her hair.

"We're just waiting for Haruhi to bring out the tea before we start our little meeting. Perhaps you should go and assist her."

"Anything for you," she chirped in a voice as sweet as Hunny's strawberry cake and a winning smile before brushing past Kyoya and letting the smile become an irritated scowl.

It didn't take long for the two girls to get the tea and several trays of snacks ready before carrying them out into the main room and setting them on the coffee table that the twins and Tamaki were gathered around. Kyoya was off in his own corner and Hunny and Mori sat at a little table a few yards away that had several cakes and other assorted sweets set out upon it.

"What's the matter, princess? You look upset, is there anything I can do so that you will grace us with your smile that is more magical than that of an angel's," Tamaki cooed as Kimiko handed him a cup of tea that he ignored in order to use two fingers to gently tilt her chin up so that she could stare, uninterestedly and with annoyance, into his eyes that were glistening with concern as he leaned much too close to her.

"Get away from me, pervert," she stated with barely a hint of emotion, smacking his hand away and causing his face to fall and his lower lip to tremble.

Haruhi, who had just sat down in a comfortable gold and blue armchair and was sipping contentedly at a cup of hot tea, wasn't surprised when the teary eyed host turned to her for comfort. He was about to embrace her when the short haired girl simply said, "Don't even think about it... pervert."

"Mom, our daughter is calling me a pervert," Tamaki cried loudly.

"Then maybe you should refrain from unnecessary displays of affection that she obviously has no interest in," Kyoya replied shortly, not taking his attention from the sleek laptop that he was busy typing away upon.

The blond's mouth worked in shock, but no sound ever escaped him as he paled, his shoulders slumped as if he had the weight of the world on them and before anyone even realized it, he was cowering in a dark corner of the room.

"Why did he turn the light off," Kimiko asked.

"Who knows why he does anything," Kaoru sighed.

"Yeah, he's kinda annoying," Hikaru added.

Sniffling sounds were heard from Tamaki's dark corner and Kimiko glanced over at the boy to see him clutching his knees to his chest with one arm while drawing circles and various other shapes on the ground with the pointer finger of his free hand. As if sensing her eyes on him, he looked up hopefully at her.

Kimiko shrugged disinterestedly and picked up a small sandwich from one of the trays and took a bite before taking a sip of the tea that had been meant for Tamaki, but that had been abandoned by the now sulking boy. She looked around for a place to sit, but not seeing anything that would allow her to have easy access to the food on the table, she stepped over to the couch and plunked herself down in between Hikaru and Kaoru, who both gave her odd, inquisitive looks. "What," she asked, picking up another finger sandwich, bringing it towards her mouth before pausing and holding it out to Hikaru. "Want a bite? It's good."

"If you're going to feed it to me," he purred, giving her a sultry smile and leaning towards her outstretched hand.

Hikaru never got a bite of the sandwich, however, Kaoru had grabbed her arm and turned her towards himself, eating the entire thing in one bite. Kimiko started laughing as the full mouthed Kaoru grinned a crooked, triumphant smile at his irritated twin.

"Here," she chuckled, reaching for another sandwich so that she could get Hikaru to stop glaring at Kaoru. Her hand was stopped halfway to the tray by Hikaru's and she glanced at him uncertainly.

"Let me," he said, carefully picking up a sandwich and putting an arm around her to bring her close to him.

All she could do was blink stupidly up at Hikaru's face that was hovering just above her own looking adoringly into her eyes as she took a bite out of the sandwich that was being held to her lips, ignoring the crumbs that fell onto her jacket. She stiffened when Kaoru leaned over her and tilted her chin towards himself.

"You have something...here," he said, lightly licking the 'something' from the corner of lips.

"Hey, get your grubby paws off her you perverts! You can't treat an innocent young maiden like that," Tamaki shouted, apparently finding a reason to not sulk in his dark corner of gloom any longer, he grabbed the twins' by their ears and pulled them away from Kimiko.

"We were only having some fun," the two sighed.

"Are you okay, Kimiko-hime, these two rascals-"

"Why are you touching me, pervert," she cut in when Tamaki put a hand on her shoulder which she was looking at with distaste.

"Wha?" Tamaki screeched, his face distorting into a rather amusing shocked expression. "B-but, b-b-but they-"

"Quiet down, Tamaki, you're causing a ruckus and it's giving me a headache," Kyoya said, closing his laptop and standing regally from the chair he had occupied, tucking his little black book under his arm and adjusting his glasses.

"There, there, Tama-chan, want some cake," Hunny asked cheerily, patting Tamaki, who was now crouched behind the couch in tears, on the head like he was a child.

"He really can't take a joke, can he," Kimiko observed.

"I knew it was just a joke," Tamaki replied, popping up from behind the couch, his tears gone and a smooth smile on his face as he flipped some of his hair from his eyes and leaned over the back of the couch. "I was just testing you."

"Uh huh," she mumbled, leaning back in her seat after picking up a tray of assorted finger sandwiches and English danishes and setting it in her lap so she could pick off of it as she sipped at her tea and the twins lounged comfortably beside her, each with an arm tossed over her thin shoulders and each of them slapping Tamaki's hand away that was reaching for a snack from the tray on Kimko's lap.

"Shall we begin discussing the plans for the Christmas party then," Kyoya said, flipping his black book open and whipping out a pen from inside his coat.

Kimiko ignored most of the meeting, Hikaru had produced a hand held game from his bag and he and Kaoru were playing it in front of her. She was watching the little man on the screen and giving advice every so often or giggling whenever the player died and the two brothers glared at one another, each blaming the other for the loss.

It wasn't until she heard her name being repeated that she looked up at Kyoya and blinked. "What?"

Kyoya sighed, rubbing briefly at his temples as the slender girl blinked blankly up at him from her spot between the two mischievous twins who were still ignoring him. "I was saying that I would like you to attend the Christmas party and since you are a Host I think it might be a good opportunity to invite some of the more prominent male students. Perhaps a student who has a tie to the business ventures of each of our families."

"You want me to entertain a bunch of stuck up guys," Kimiko inquired, her brow tilting as she looked incredulously at Kyoya.

"That would be ideal, yes."

"Have you seen her interact with the other boys, Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, she's not exactly a social butterfly," Hikaru pointed out. "Most of the girls are scared of her and the boys don't even talk to her because they're scared of her ex."

"I'm also a bit of a bitch," Kimiko added chipperly, tossing a piece of a cranberry scone into her mouth and munching on it with a grin.

"If you get at least ten requests by the time the Christmas party comes around and dance with at least ten people at the party itself, I'll lower your debt by," he trailed off as he glanced down at his notebook and make a few quick notes before looking back up at her. "Twenty five percent."

Halting momentarily in the chewing of a raspberry cream tart, Kimiko silently calculated the approximate amount that would be lopped off her tab with the Host Club, not that it mattered, reducing her debt in anyway was something she wasn't going to say no to. "Thirty five percent or I don't do it at all."

Kyoya couldn't help but to quirk a brow at her and even let an amused smirk tilt up the corners of his lips for a moment, which he covered nicely by pushing his glasses up the rim of his nose. "Thirty."

"When's the Christmas party?" She asked.

"Two weeks."

"That's not an awful lot of time to make new friends," she replied.

"Don't worry Kimi-chan, we have faith in you," Hunny piped up from the table he was still occupying with Mori. "Right, Takashi?"

Mori gave a slight nod, but no verbal response and Kimiko was beginning to think that the few times she had heard him speak had just been figments of her imagination.

"I don't know, Kyoya, she is a bit mean, it might not be possible for her to get ten requests in such a short period of time. Or is that perhaps what you're counting on so you don't have to decrease her debt," Tamaki asked, he was now back in his seat, looking every bit an arrogant prince as he delicately rested his chin on the back of his curled fingers and crossed his legs.

"Now why on earth would you think I wouldn't want her to be able to lower her debt," Kyoya asked as if utterly appalled by the idea of him being so calculating.

"Maybe because you like to have more people around to benefit from," Haruhi suggested bluntly.

Hikaru and Kaoru snickered, putting away their hand held game to join in on the fun. "Kyoya-senpai _is_ a bit greedy."

"I'm not greedy, I'm just..frugal," Kyoya corrected with slight irritation vibrating through his words.

"Do you really think she can do it, Kyoya? Bring in ten requests by Christmas and receive ten more for the party," Tamaki asked, shifting the conversation back to Kimiko.

"I suppose you have a point, there really isn't much time and it's not like we have a lot to work with," he replied, glancing at Kimiko with disdain.

Kimiko bristled, she wasn't quite fond of being underestimated, that didn't change the fact that she didn't want to do what was being asked of her, but she would even if just to prove the wealthy brats in front of her wrong.

"Don't be so harsh, Kimiko-chan's a very pretty girl, she's just not very..."

"Nice?"

"Charming?"

Shooting the twins a glare, Kimiko poked each of them in the side harshly and smirked when they both looked sullenly at her. "Like either of you are nice or charming? You two sit around and fondle each other, that's not charm, it's debauchery. You want to see me being nice and charming, fine, ten requests by the Christmas party and ten requests at the party itself. If I can do that, then thirty percent gets cut from my bill."

"Deal," Kyoya and Tamaki said together, giving Kimiko a strange feeling that she had just been manipulated.

* * *

"Why me," she groaned, falling onto her bed and pulling a pillow over her face in an attempt to disappear that obviously was destined to fail.

To say she was happy about the deal she had made with Kyoya and Tamaki to lower her debt would be a gross overstatement. She wasn't angry or even upset about it though, instead she was agonizing over the fact that she was going to have to be nice, charming and would have to giggle and be coy. Things she wasn't too great at doing, except around the few people she chose to befriend. And she had never had many friends. She didn't see the point, she was a bit like Kyoya in the fact that she had only ever really bothered to befriend people that it would benefit her to know, outside of that her list of people to call friends was very short and unimpressive.

It wasn't that she wasn't social, she was, or could be. She just preferred to spend her time alone, studying or..well...studying. She had never had much of a life outside of her studies and she didn't mind it at all, she liked being alone. Though she was beginning to like hanging around with the Host Club, even Tamaki, that was probably because he was so much fun to tease. As for the rest of them, she found them to be very real, when not surrounded by their adoring clients, and it was interesting and comforting to be around people who weren't constantly pretending to be someone that they weren't because that was what was expected from people with money.

"Ten, how the hell am I going to get ten guys to request me when they're either scared of Katsuro or I've ignored them thus far?"

She had her work cut out for and she was beginning to doubt that she'd really be able to pull off her end of the bargain. She mentally scolded herself for thinking so negatively and began trying to think of a way to get the requests she needed as quickly as possible.

"Why me," she sighed grouchily, tossing her pillow aside, she got out of her bed and made her way her bathroom for a nice hot bath that she hoped would clear her mind and allow her to think more clearly.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7 Almost There

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 7**

**Almost There**

"I'm so going to kill you two," Kimiko seethed at the bored and completely disinterested twins that were lounging like lazy cats on a blue and gold trimmed sofa in the third music room. Their arms were slung over one another and they were flipping through a magazine with expressions of sheer boredom on their faces. They looked every bit the spoiled, rich brats they were in Kimiko's opinion.

The fake smile she had been donning all day was gone, the sweet and silky, slightly shy, tone she had been speaking in all day had gone as well. So was the demure and charismatic smile she had managed to plaster on her lips. Her cheeks had taken on a reddish tint, out of anger now instead of fake embarrassment and her green eyes were narrowed angrily as she slammed the door to the music room behind herself and strode over to the twins, carelessly dropping her bag in the middle of the room as she walked, her unbelievably comfortable black loafers clicking on the marble.

"Oh, were you talking to us?" Hikaru asked innocently, gazing up at her with bright eyes that were meant to convince her they were the most angelic and kind hearted people in the world.

Kimiko didn't buy the act for a second.

"What did we do?" Kaoru inquired, blinking like a lost puppy at her.

Kimiko took a deep breath, fighting the urge to just lunge at the both of them and knock them senseless. All day, every single time she would start up a conversation with a boy and play whatever part she needed to play to get his attention, the devilish twins showed up and ruined everything. Either by being far too friendly towards her, engaging in some kind of weird twincest moment, or being rude to whoever she was speaking with and chasing them off. Needless to say, she wasn't expecting to get any requests anytime soon.

"You have five seconds to get up and run before I really do try and kill you," Kimiko seethed. "One."

"She's not serious," Hikaru said.

"Two."

"Nah, she likes us too much," Kaoru added.

"Three."

"Besides, we saved her from a bunch of boring and ugly guys," Hikaru continued.

"Four," Kimiko ground out.

"Yeah, she should be thanking us," Kaoru finished.

Kimiko took a deep breath and prepared to lunge at the twins, but a pale hand laid itself on her shoulder. She glanced coldly at the hand and then followed the blue sleeve that covered it up into the half hidden face of Kyouya Ootori, the hand's owner.

'Why does it have to be him? This is his fault. The damn meddling, manipulative, too smart for his own good, devious bastard,' Kimiko thought grumpily. 'I used to have such great self control...Now look at me, screaming like a banshee and I probably look like one too right now.'

"What exactly is the problem here?" Kyouya asked in a voice so annoyingly calm and collected that Kimiko had to stop herself from screaming at him like a spoiled child and declare that the twins and their antics were the problem.

"No idea," the twins shrugged in unison.

"Really," Kyouya replied, clearly not believing the twins and their answer. "So you did nothing to make Kimiko angry?"

"Of course not."

"I see. So you're both denying that you've been following her all day and sabotaging her every chance you got?"

"How'd you know?" Kimiko asked, confused about just how Kyouya knew about what had been going on all day. Once she thought about it though, she wasn't surprised he knew. He seemed to know everything and have eyes everywhere. "And if you knew, why didn't you do anything?"

"You're a big girl and regardless of what Tamaki might say, I'm not your mother," Kyouya replied, his face blank except for a slight frown like twitch when Kimiko looked away, stung by the retort.

"It wasn't sabotage," Hikaru pointed out.

"We were helping," Kaoru insisted.

"Helping?" Kimiko loudly protested. "You call scaring off every single person that I may have been able to get to request me, helping?"

"Well, yeah," they replied.

"They were boring," Hikaru sighed.

"And ugly," Kaoru added.

"I don't care if they're as boring as a blank sheet of paper or as ugly as hell, just as long as they request me! I should make you two pay for the potential requests you made me lose!"

"Not a bad idea, Kimiko. After all, they do need to learn that interfering with the club's profits is something that they shouldn't do," Kyouya said, pushing his glasses up on his nose and fixing the twins with a look that made them gulp.

"W-we're sorry, Kyouya-senpai," Kaoru began.

"It won't happen again," Hikaru finished, after an elbow to the side from Kaoru.

"Good, see that it doesn't," Kyouya replied with a quick smile before turning his attention to Kimiko. "Since it doesn't appear that you'll be entertaining anyone today I don't suppose you'd mind helping me with a few things?"

Kimiko sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really," Kyouya answered much too happily.

* * *

"You want me to what?" Kimiko asked disbelievingly, tweaking a brow at Kyouya and looking from the screen of his laptop to him.

"Just don't go snooping around outside of this program and when you've finished, let me know. I'd like to see the finished product."

"This stuff actually makes you money?" she inquired incredulously.

"You'd be surprised just how much actually," Kyouya replied.

"The girls here really need to get lives," Kimiko mumbled. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Kimiko. I have somethings to do and a few guests to entertain today, I'll check on you later."

Taking the seat that Kyouya vacated in front of the shiny laptop, Kimiko sighed boredly and set to work on organizing a number of pictures of the Host Club members. It didn't take her long to notice that there weren't any of Kyouya and an idea slowly began to form in her mind and before long, a devious smirk had formed on her lips.

"Whatever you're thinking, I suggest you stop, you won't get away with it," Kyouya said, walking up behind her to see how far she had progressed.

"I have no idea what you mean, Kyouya," Kimiko replied in mock offense, tilting her head back and smiling innocently. Tilting her head back was apparently not a good idea, it made her realize just how close Kyouya really was to her. She could smell the light, barely there cologne he wore, and actually see his eyes pretty clearly for once. He was quite striking, she noted, his features were very refined and the air of Machiavellian mystery, though at times creepy and intimidating, was also something that drew her to him. When Kyouya lifted a brow at her, his lips quirking slightly in amusement as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Kimiko mentally shook off her thoughts and reminded herself she couldn't stand the Ootori. "I have all of the photos sorted, I just need to arrange them. Your silly magazines will be done soon."

"I see that. Not bad work so far, I'm impressed." He graced Kimiko with the closest thing to a real smile she had seen him give and it nearly took her breath away.

Kimiko snorted, 'Probably still fake,' she thought to herself, but didn't bother to reply as Kyouya walked off again.

"Kimi-chan! Kimi-chan!"

"Hello, Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai," Kimiko greeted the two third years that walked up to her. She was sitting at a round table, her chin in the palm of one of her hands as she stared at the laptop before her.

"Whatchya doin'? Wanna have some cake with us? I brought a chocolate cake."

"No thank you, Hunny-senpai, I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"With what?" Hunny inquired, trying to peak around the table at the laptop screen.

"Uh, nothing," she said, closing the laptop screen and smiling nervously. "Just something that Kyouya asked me to do for him."

"Oh, that's right you're Kyo-chan's assistant. But I thought that you were a host now too."

"I am, but today wasn't a very good day and I didn't get any requests. Looks like I might be forced to work a bit harder than I was expecting."

"Poor Kimi-chan!" Hunny cried. "We'll request you, right, Takashi?"

Takashi shrugged.

"See. Now you have two requests!"

Kimiko went silent for a moment, she was debating about whether or not to accept Hunny's offer. She wasn't sure Kyouya would agree, then again, Kyouya was nowhere to be seen. "Thank you very much, Hunny-senpai." She smiled happily at the older boy and moved the laptop aside. "Would you like some coffee to go with the cake?"

"Yes, please," Hunny cheered, hopping into a chair and giggling boyishly.

"How about you, Mori-senpai, would you like some coffee?" Kimiko asked as she stood from her seat.

She got a quick nod in reply.

"Be right back," she chirped, walking to the pantry to prepare a tray of coffee.

"Two requests on your first official day as a host, not bad."

Kimiko jumped, squeaking in surprise at the monotonous voice that had addressed her from the shadows.

There was a small, dry chuckle followed by the appearance of Kyouya as he stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Then you shouldn't hide in the shadows in the pantry," she grumbled, choosing to ignore the tall, thin boy as she set a silver tray on the counter and retrieved three blue and silver tea cups.

"It's such a shame that they won't count towards your quota."

That statement got Kimiko's attention and she looked up at Kyouya. "Excuse me?"

"They're fellow Host Club members, you can't expect them to ignore their own guests just so that they can help you," he explained.

Kimiko raised a brow, but remained otherwise emotionless. "Their guests can come and join us then."

"I suppose, but then their guests wouldn't be getting their full attention. The hosts are here to make their guests happy, not ignore them."

Kimiko would have protested further, but she was saved from doing so when Tamaki bounded into the pantry, a big, cheesy smile on his face as he beamed at Kimiko. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Huh?"

"Two requests on your first day! My daughter is so talented! Give Daddy a hug!"

Kimiko screamed as Tamaki charged at her and engulfed her in a bear hug. A thought struck her and she decided to see just how much of a sap Tamaki could really be, she knew he was smart, but she also knew that he was a sucker who easily fell prey to tricks. "I'm glad you're happy Tamaki-senpai, but Kyouya just said that the requests don't count."

"What," Tamaki cried, dramatically turning to face Kyouya who sighed in annoyance. "You can't do that, our daughter has worked so hard!"

"Yes, but since the requests are from Hunny and Mori-senpai-"

"Hunny and Mori-senpai," Tamaki interrupted, a confused look on his face. "What're you talking about, Kyouya? Yasushi-san and Tamotsu-san have asked to see Kimiko-chan, they're outside."

"Who?" Kimiko questioned, completely uncertain of who Tamaki was talking about.

"Yasushi...The architectural engineering family?" Kyouya asked.

"Yeah, that would be him," Tamaki nodded.

"And Tamotsu. He's the son of the finest silk retailer in Japan."

"Right again. They're both second year, class A students," Tamaki stated.

"Who?" Kimiko asked again.

"Ryota Yasushi and Shigeo Tamotsu."

Kimiko stared at Kyouya, waiting for further explanation. Which she was apparently not going to get judging by the empty stare she was receiving.

"I'm so proud!" Tamaki cried again, turning around to try and wrap his arms around Kimiko again.

Smacking the blond upside the head and knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the floor, Kimiko frowned. "Don't touch me."

* * *

'My cheeks feel like they're going to fall off and if I have to laugh at another one of Tamotsu's jokes, that are really more like insults to anyone that isn't himself or his best friend, Yasushi, I think I might have to fake a heart attack.' Kimiko's thought process was determinedly sour and annoyed as she sat across from the two boys who, despite their own beliefs, were the most useless people she had ever met.

Ryota Yasushi was a rather good looking guy. He was tall, muscular, but not overly so and he had amazing blue eyes that were quite the contrast to his long, well kept black hair. While he had good looks to rival the members of the Host Club, his personality was seriously lacking. His only interests seemed to be sports and girls for he tried to flirt with any that walked by. Manners were something he didn't bother with, why should he, he was rich after all. His daddy spoiled him and all he had to do was get decent grades in school so that he could take over the family business one day.

'And likely ruin it in a month,' Kimiko thought distastefully.

Shigeo Tamotsu wasn't much different. Looks wise however, he was nowhere near as gifted as his friend. He was short and built in a way that made him blend in instead of stand out in anyway. He too had no manners, no morals and constantly hit on Kimiko in a way that made her want to throw her scalding hot tea in his face and then throw the cup at him for good measure.

In all, these were the type of people that Kimiko couldn't stand. They had a lot of money, which wasn't particularly a bad thing, but they flaunted that fact and because of that fact they felt that they were untouchable and beyond reproach. And unfortunately, they were. Kimiko would have loved to speak her mind as she usually did, but knew that doing so would only put her in further debt with the club and would make no difference anyway. Nothing she said would ever change the boys or their attitudes.

"So Aratoshi-san, I hear you're no longer engaged," Tamotsu said, his voice grating on Kimiko's nerves.

Taking a small, delicate sip of her tea, Kimiko nodded. Once she had lowered her tea cup carefully to the table, she demurely folded her hands in her lap. "You've heard right, Tamotsu-senpai. My engagement was ended just the other day."

"Well, that's good, the Harashi family is worthless. They would have soiled your family name, I can't believe your mother was going to let you marry him, I'm glad she changed her mind," he arrogantly explained, the way he was implying that Kimiko wanted to marry Katsuro, making her desperately want to throttle the boy.

"Yes, well, I am too," she replied, barely keeping the edge out of her voice.

"Hey Aratoshi-san, is it true that you're going to be living by yourself? I heard your mother was moving back to America," Yasushi inquired.

"That's true too, but I won't be alone. I have several bodyguards and full time staff at the house," she replied, smirking and nearly spitting tea all over herself when she noticed that both boys had gone pale for a moment while looking behind her. Her trio of black clad guards wasn't too pleased about her predicament with the Host Club and refused to leave her alone in the presence of the two boys, they apparently knew more about them than she did, and were currently hiding in the shadows of the pillars behind her. Or they had been anyway.

"Kimi-chan, Kimi-chan!" Hunny cried, skipping towards her, his Usa-chan held tightly in his arms.

"What is it, Hunny-senpai?" she asked worriedly, noting the way he seemed to be rather upset, his bright eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"It's Takashi, he went to get tea and he hasn't come back yet. I'm worried, will you help me look for him?"

"Um.."

Kimiko could hear the whispers and snickers of her two guests and was barely able to keep herself from kicking them in the shins under the table and then none to gracefully grabbing them by the collars and throwing them out the nearest window like the garbage they were. They were making fun of Hunny and his stuffed rabbit as well as saying rather nasty things about his height and demeanor.

"It's alright, go ahead, Kimiko, your time is up for today anyway," Kyouya told her, abruptly appearing out of nowhere and startling her when he walked up behind her.

"Now I know why you're called the Shadow King," she murmured to herself, folding the small napkin she had in her lap and setting it on the gold plated snack plate she had been using, she stood up.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Kyouya inquired, gracing Kimiko with his unsettling and knowing smirk that let her know she would somehow be paying for her comment later.

"No, nothing, Kyouya. Excuse me, it was a pleasure meeting you both," Kimiko said, bowing slightly and shyly smiling at her guests before turning her attention to Hunny.

She squeaked, her eyes widening when her hand was suddenly in the smaller, but incredibly stronger boy's grasp and she was flying towards the pantry. There would have been a very big mess that would have included a broken table, a broken tea set and a bruised Kimiko, but thankfully Mori was there to catch her before she could go careening into anything when Hunny stopped with no warning just after running into the pantry.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai, I'm beginning to think you're my knight in shining armor or something, you always seem to be around to keep me from falling on my face," Kimiko laughed embarrassingly as she righted herself and smoothed her blazer.

"Mission accomplished, good job, Takashi," Hunny said seriously, putting his hands on his hips and nodding approvingly at the tall boy.

"Uh, what mission? And weren't you looking for Mori-senpai?"

"No, we were rescuing you. I just said I was looking for Takashi to get you to leave," Hunny replied.

"Oh, why?"

"Those boys may come from good families, but they're not very respectful and we didn't like having to watch you be nice to them even though they were being mean. Right, Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"That was nice of you, but I didn't need rescuing. I'm a Host to pay off a debt, I don't care who I have to entertain as long as it lowers my debt," Kimiko explained truthfully.

"You might not care," Kyouya began, stepping into the pantry to lean into the wall by the door and fold his arms over his chest. "But this club does have standards and they don't meet them. They will still count towards your quota, but they have been asked not to return. I'm a bit surprised, as well as impressed, that you were able to keep up your little act the entire time. You didn't stop them or even try to get them to behave themselves."

"I'm not their mother, Kyouya," she retorted. "Besides, why would I stop them, you wanted me to entertain all types of people which would require me to behave as they want me to. I did what I was expected to."

"No, you didn't. As a Host, you should have asked that those two refrain from acting inappropriately, but you didn't. You allowed them to make the other guests uncomfortable-"

"You can't hold me responsible for the actions of two stuck up little rich kids who don't even know how to dress themselves without ordering a maid to get their things. If I had spoken up, like I wanted to, they would have been unhappy and left, possibly causing a big scene in the process. Then you would have added a bunch of money to my debt for causing the scene and probably have told me that I would have to find two more guys to request me since I chased the first two away!" Kimiko was once again, tinted pink in the cheeks while she ranted at an uncaring Kyouya who appeared to not be listening to a word she said.

"You're probably right, but since you didn't do anything I'll need to add the cost of several bouquets that will be sent out as an apology to the girls that were made uncomfortable to your debt."

If it hadn't been real life, Kimiko would have sweat dropped. As it was, she just slouched in defeat and groaned pathetically.

* * *

The week ended with Kimiko receiving several more requests. One from a shy third year, class A student, that Kimiko had actually enjoyed spending time with and who had already become a regular. He had visited her the day following the disaster with her first two requests and since that was a Wednesday, he had visited her two more times that week, on Thursday and Friday. His name was Katashi Sato. He was a few inches taller than Kimiko, with a kind face, bright amber eyes and golden brown hair. He was thin for his height and Kimiko kept offering him cake and sweets, all of which he ate, much to her surprise. He had been very shy at first and had only come to the Host Club to see Kimiko because she "accidentally" bumped into him in the hall before class that morning and had run away in embarrassment before he could return one of her notebooks...Calculating and manipulative? Not at all...

She had found that once she got Katashi talking, he was actually quite amusing. He was knowledgeable on all kinds of subjects and he was extremely nice. They had a lot of similar interests, they had read many of the same books, listened to some of the same music and like her, he too had spent a lot of time in the States. They had lots of things to talk about and Kimiko found that it was actually quite easy to smile and laugh and be herself around the older boy and even blush when he teased her for liking to read Shojo manga, something that she had accidentally let slip while they had been talking about books.

While she was greatly enjoying Katashi's company, there were those that weren't quite pleased with how close the two seemed to be getting. Like Hikaru and Kaoru, who spent much of the time that Katashi was visiting with Kimiko, spying on them. Even Tamaki who had started off being a proud father and constantly praising Kimiko, who usually ignored him or pushed him away and caused him to cower in his corner of despair, was taking to spying on them as well. Hunny thought it was great that the shy and quiet Katashi Sato had found someone he could open up around and be himself around, Mori agreed with Hunny of course. Kyouya, didn't seem to have an opinion, though he did seem mildly annoyed by the fact that Kimiko was quickly approaching her quota and was insisting that for every ten requests that she got after her first quota was met that another five percent be deducted from her tab. She had started out at twenty percent, but seeing as how she knew that would never work had lowered it to a level that was a bit more reasonable in her opinion.

Her only other request had been a second year class B student whose father was insisting he befriend her. Their family was in the shipping business and he thought it could be beneficial to try and get close to Kimiko. Of course, getting close to Kimiko was really more like, 'persuade her to change shipping companies and make us lots and lots of money!' His name was Rikichi Jiruga and all the teenager wanted to do was was spend time with his girlfriend, who was unhappy about her boyfriend being forced to meet with Kimiko at the Host Club. It didn't take long for the girl to find that she was a fan of twincest and she ended up spending the afternoon with the twins however.

In fact, Kimiko was almost jealous of the girl. At least the twins were entertaining, but Rikichi, well he was boring. Insanely so. All he did was talk about his family's company and stats. No matter how hard Kimiko tried to steer the conversation to other things or point out that she wasn't in charge of the Aratoshi businesses yet. Most of her time was spent boredly listening to him speak and watching with envy as everyone else enjoyed themselves.

Kimiko insisted that since she brought the girl in and had probably gotten the twins a new regular customer that the girl's first visit go towards fulfilling her quota, after all if it weren't for her the girl never would have come to the club. After much debating and pleading, Kyouya had given in if for no other reason than to get Kimiko to stop pestering him all the time.

By the end of the week, Kimiko had had four people request her and since Katashi had requested her a total of three times, she was up to six requests total. Four more and she would have the ten she needed before the party, she knew that would be no problem since Katashi had promised to visit her all of the following week as well. All she had to worry about now was the Christmas party, ten people had to request her at the party, one person requesting her ten times wouldn't work.

"I'm almost there," she muttered to herself, walking out of the third music room to go home and enjoy a quiet weekend alone.

Her mother and step-father were leaving for the States that evening and would be leaving her to herself in the manor for who knew how long. She could only hope that it was long enough for her to finish school, turn eighteen and finally be able to free herself from the woman's hold. Then she could make sure that her mother never messed with her life or her father's business that would be hers in only a few more years.

"Almost there," she sighed, glancing up at the clear blue sky as she exited the school building and smiling hopefully.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8 A Deal

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 8**

**A Deal**

When Kimiko stepped out of the car, she stood just outside the door and looked up at the expansive, modern home that stood before her. The dark paned glass was reflecting her image back at her and she stared at it for a moment before shutting the car door and walking up to the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Kimiko-sama," Haka greeted as he opened the front door to allow her in, bowing slightly at the waist.

"Good afternoon, Haka-san. Is my mother gone?" Kimiko asked, her voice rather blank as she took a few quick, furtive glances around.

"Yes, she and her husband left not long before you got home. The house is all yours."

"I see," she replied, looking around the large house that she couldn't help but to think was much too big for just her. "The staff?"

"Your mother only took her own security detail and assistant with her. Everyone else was hired when you moved to Japan and will be staying to serve you," he answered.

She nodded. "I have some homework to do, would you let me know when dinner is ready?"

"Of course, Kimiko-sama."

"Oh, and I need to do some shopping this weekend. I need a dress for the Christmas party. Since I'm not familiar with anything here yet would you please find out where we should go to find a nice dress. A local designer would be nice, if there is a well known one."

"I'll see what I can find out for you," Haka replied, bowing his head to her respectfully.

After thanking Haka, Kimiko made her way to her room and found that despite how lonely the empty house was, she preferred it that way.

* * *

Kimiko sighed tiredly and put her chin in her palm. She was sitting in the back seat of the black sedan that took her anywhere she needed to go and staring out the window at the passing shops. For hours she had wandered around the stores looking for a dress for the party and hadn't found a single thing she liked. The designers were all local and she liked to support local designers, but she found none of the dresses to be up to her standards, though she did find many other things for everyday wear. The car was now heading for a mall that was supposed to have more upscale stores that should better suit her tastes and needs.

Once the car was parked in an underground structure and her door opened for her, she stepped out and let the long, loose, uneven cut black skirt she wore fall to her knees. It was made from a soft, flowing fabric that made swishing noises as it fluttered around her legs. She wore a silver tank top and a cropped black cardigan with several long, chunky necklaces dangling around her throat. Her shoes were black sandal like platforms to add a few inches to her rather short frame. A small pink leather handbag was put over her shoulder as she began the walk to the nearest elevator, Haka walking beside her while Tomoe and Chika hung a few yards back.

The mall was indeed very upscale. Almost all of the shops were selling a certain designer's clothing and all of them except for maybe one or two were ones that Kimiko had heard of before. She tried to steer away from designers that were too mainstream. While wearing the latest fashions and always looking good was important for someone of her standing, she tried to not look like everyone else who was just as privileged as she was. She liked clothes, but she liked clothes that were unique and that she wouldn't find in the closets of every other girl she knew.

She made her way through several stores, most of which were designers she was familiar with, but after having the shop attendants in each one tell her that another girl from Ouran had bought this dress or that dress, she had grown annoyed with the fact that it didn't seem possible to find a dress that one of the girls attending the party hadn't already bought. Being a Host and Kyouya's go to girl she had a feeling that she needed to stand out from the crowd, something she was beginning to think was going to be impossible.

Having grown thirsty, Kimiko took a seat on a padded bench and put her elbows on her knees, propping up her chin as she glanced around the shops and the clothes they were displaying. Nothing was really jumping out at her and she was beginning to wonder if there was any favors she could call in to have a dress specially made for the party.

Sighing, Kimiko shook her head and was just looking up to see that Haka, Tomoe and Chika were all a few feet away ordering drinks from a smoothie stall when a hand was wrapped around her waist and another placed over her eyes. She didn't have time to cry out before another hand was put over her mouth and she was forced to her feet and was being led away from her seat.

Her thoughts were flying quickly through her head as she tried to stay calm and analyze the situation she was in. 'There's at least two people. They're taller than me by a few inches, even in heels and they seem to be pretty strong.' She was trying to think of a way out of the grasp of whoever had abducted her and was beginning to grow uneasy as she noticed that the sounds of the mall and people that were milling around in it were beginning to fade. There were snickers from either side of her and for a moment she almost thought they sounded familiar, but thought that it was just in her head as old memories were stirred up.

Taking a deep breath, Kimiko reached up and grabbed a hold of the hand over her mouth. With a quick yank, she pulled it away and was about to twist it in hopes of at least hurting one attacker enough to give her a chance to get away and call for help when she heard her name and a yelp as she began to twist the wrist in her grasp. Blinking, she looked behind her and was surprised to see that she was staring at Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru was pouting as he rubbed at his wrist that she had released and Kaoru was comforting him.

"What the hell were you doing?" Kimiko snapped, her eyes wide and shocked.

Both boys were surprised by the intensity of the stare she was giving them. She didn't seem mad, but she did seem about to cry. Her cheeks were red and she was breathing rapidly when they hadn't been doing more than walking.

"We were just having some fun," Hikaru replied with sniffle.

"Yeah, we saw you wandering around the mall and we were going to leave you alone, but you never came into our mom's shop," Kaoru continued.

"So we were going to invite you," Hikaru finished.

"Invite me? You call kidnapping inviting?" Kimiko asked, her voice shaking with an anger that was still hidden beneath her watery eyes.

"Yeah," the both chirped, shrugging as if they didn't see anything at all wrong with what they had done.

Kimiko shook her head and walked past both of them in the direction she was pretty sure they had come from, they appeared to be in a service hall where only employees were allowed. It was dimly lit and the blue tile was worn and the gray paint on the walls was chipping.

"Well I don't," she said quietly, walking away from both boys and nearly colliding with Haka when he threw open the doors that led into the hall.

"Kimiko-sama, are you-"

"I'm fine, Haka, it was just some friends playing a trick on me. I'm done shopping for the day, I'd like to return home now," Kimiko cut in. "I'll find a dress another time."

Haka nodded, but frowned at the top of Kimiko's head as she kept her head tilted down and walked with her bag clutched in front of her. He glanced back at the two Hitachin twins who seemed rather confused with what was going on, his frown deepening in disapproval before he turned to follow after Kimiko.

* * *

Being that the two brothers were rather confused about what had transpired at the mall, they decided to hound the one person who knew everything about everyone to see if they could figure out what had happened. Of course that person was an unwilling Kyouya who wound up being dragged to the mall by a concerned Tamaki, who the boys had actually called since they knew Kyouya wouldn't come of his own accord and they had greatly exaggerated the whole thing to be sure they had Tamaki's interest.

The dark haired teen refused to eat anything, saying that he wanted to spend as little time at the mall as possible. Instead he was sipping on some coffee and leaning casually into a plush chair at a round table in a popular and pricey cafe. He was dressed in comfortable jeans, a white shirt with a black short sleeved button up over it and sandals. It wasn't hard to tell that he was unhappy about having been dragged away from his home, where he was busy with last minute plans for the Christmas party and to the mall to be questioned about Kimiko.

"I don't see how it's any of your business, but Kimiko was supposedly kidnapped as a child," Kyouya said tersely, sipping on his coffee while his foot tapped impatiently against the floor.

"Supposedly?" Tamaki asked.

"Yes, it wasn't in the papers, just tabloid magazines that are usually full of fake gossip stories," Kyouya replied.

"So was she kidnapped or not?" the twins questioned.

Kyouya shrugged and set his cup down so that he could fold his arms over his chest. "You'd have to ask her. If she was kidnapped, there was a huge cover up and the papers were paid off to not print the story."

"But what about the tabloids?" Tamaki asked.

"Why pay off gossip magazines that no one believes anyways."

"So the only way to know," Hikaru began.

"Would be to ask her," Kaoru finished.

"Right, but I doubt she would tell any of us anything. If there was a kidnapping and a cover up, then there had to be a reason for it," Kyouya pointed out. "Something had to have happened that the Aratoshi's don't want anyone to know and it's not like she trusts any of us enough to tell us."

"It seems that our princess might be more fragile than we thought, hm, Kyouya," Tamaki stated, glancing at Kyouya curiously.

Kyouya ignored the comment, he wanted to leave and get back home. He had a phone call to make.

* * *

"Kimi-chan," two voices whined in unison.

Kimiko sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to stop walking towards the classroom.

"We're sorry," the twins cooed, putting an arm over each shoulder and leaning much too closely to Kimiko's face.

Swatting the two identical, handsome boys away from her with an irritated scowl, Kimiko continued to ignore them and walked dutifully down the hall.

"Kimi-chan," Hikaru pouted.

"Don't ignore us," Kaoru sniffled.

They released her so that Hikaru could comfort the 'sad' Kaoru, earning a bunch of giggles and blushes from the nearby girls that had been watching them. One even swooned, which made Kimiko shake her head in utter incomprehension at how the girls could be so easily swayed by a such a display. Having beaten the crowds to the classroom, Kimiko smiled and waved at Haruhi who was already in her seat and took her own, adjusting her skirt before she sat down.

"What do you two want?" Kimiko asked blandly, not taking her eyes from her notes that she was studying as Hikaru and Kaoru popped up, one on either side of her and trying to get her attention as they leaned over her notes.

"We want you to play with us," the two answered

"I don't feel like it."

"Please," they chorused.

"No."

"We'll help you find a dress."

"No."

"But isn't that what you were looking for?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes."

"Then let us help. Our mom _is_ a fashion designer," Hikaru told her proudly.

"No."

"Please, Kimi-chan," they whined, giving her their innocent puppy dog eyes and the saddest, most pathetic faces they could muster.

"No."

They would have persisted in trying to get Kimiko to agree to let them help her find a dress, but the teacher came in and called for everyone to take their seats. Sulking, the two retreated to their seats, but were sure to spend the entire class staring sullenly at Kimiko.

"Wanna eat lunch with us?" Kaoru asked, resting an elbow on Kimiko's shoulder.

"Depends, are you inviting me or do you plan on trying to kidnap me," Kimiko retorted sourly.

"We apologized," Hikaru pointed out.

"Just do me a favor and don't do something like that again," Kimiko said, putting her things into her book bag by her feet.

"Only if you agree to let us help you get ready for the party," the twins replied, smiling deviously at her.

She didn't know why, but they reminded her of cats. Evil cats. But cats none the less and she thought it would have been fitting if they had tails swishing arrogantly behind them. "Fine by me as long as I'm not wearing the same dress as any other girl there."

"Oh you won't be," Hikaru practically purred.

"We promise," Kaoru said, his grin growing more mischievous by the second.

Tilting a brow up, Kimiko turned around in her seat. "Should I be scared?" she asked Haruhi.

The dark haired girl glanced at her, blinked and answered with a blunt, but to the point, "Yes."

"I thought so," Kimiko muttered, letting out a breath and picking up her bag as she stood from her desk.

"Yay! Lunch time," the red headed brothers sang happily, each taking one of Kimiko's arms and nearly ripping them off as they hauled her out of the room.

The rest of the day went by in a similar manner. The twins pestering Kimiko and hauling her off to one place or another. During lunch it was the cafeteria and then back to class. After class it was to the third music room where she was lucky enough to be left alone for awhile since they all had customers to entertain.

"Hello, how are you today, Katashi-san?" Kimiko greeted with a bright smile as the tall boy walked into the room as a bunch of pink rose petals fluttered into his face.

"Oh, it's just him," the twins said snidely, exhaling long, spoiled sighs when Katashi walked in.

"He's still a guest you two so I expect you to be on your best behavior," Kyouya remarked, giving the boys a slight smile, which they ignored and went back to muttering to themselves.

The tall boy waved a hand around to try to keep most of the petals out of his way and once most of them had fallen to the floor, he returned Kimiko's smile now that she had skipped over to him.

"I'm fine, Kimiko-san, you?" the boy asked, offering her his arm which she gladly took and proceeded to walk to their usual table in a quiet corner of the room.

"Not bad considering I've been dragged around like a rag doll several times today."

"The twins?"

Kimiko snorted. "Who else?"

"I think they like you," Katashi teased.

Making a face at the idea, Kimiko shook her head. "No way."

"But think about it. They follow you around, they don't like you being around other boys and they go out of their way to pick on you."

"You don't know the twins. They don't go out of their way to do anything," she scoffed.

"Sure we do."

Kimiko jumped when the topics of her conversation were suddenly leaning over her and giving her their signature devilish grins.

"We went out of our way to make you that maid's dress," Hikaru said.

"And your uniform," Kaoru added.

"That doesn't count as going out of your way, since in both cases you really just wanted to torture me," Kimiko replied, ducking out of their reach.

"We would never torture you," they purred. "Unless you want us to."

"Told you they like you," Katashi said to her.

Both boys had heard the remark, Hikaru didn't seem to care, but Kaoru turned bright red.

"He's blushing, so I must be right," Katashi stated, pointing at Kaoru.

"He's blushing because he can't stand the thought of being apart, isn't that right, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, gathering Kaoru in his arms and staring lovingly at him.

Gagging at the scene, Kimiko shook her head and turned away, intent on ignoring them for as long as possible. "Would you like some tea or coffee?" She asked Katashi as they reached their little round table.

"I think coffee today, please."

"It's what Tamaki likes to refer to as 'commoner's coffee', meaning instant, is that alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Katashi laughed.

"Ok, be right back."

"Hi, Kimi-chan!"

"Hello, Hunny-senpai. Mori-senpai," Kimiko greeted. Hunny had run up to her, followed by Mori who was walking at a slow pace, but given the size difference, he had no problem keeping up with the shorter boy.

Hunny beamed toothily at her while Mori simply nodded and graced her with a small smile.

"Are you getting tea for Katashi-kun"? Hunny asked.

"Coffee, actually. Would you like me to make cups for you two?" Kimiko offered.

Hunny shook his head. "No, thanks. I got some fresh cakes, want one?"

Kimiko wasn't sure exactly where the pastry box came from, but there was a box suddenly presented to her and opened to display four different cakes. "They look delicious, Hunny-senpai, but are you sure, there's only four." 'And I know how much you can eat,' she added in a private thought to herself.

"I already had a bunch of cake, and there's plenty more in the pantry."

"Oh, well I'd like the red velvet cake, I haven't had red velvet in a really long time. It was my dad's favorite," she added quietly, her face falling for a moment before she gave the two seniors a bright smile. "I'll take the angel food too, it's Katashi's favorite. Why don't we go into the pantry so I can get some plates?"

"Ok!" Hunny cheered, skipping off to the pantry.

"Hm? Mori-senpai?" Kimiko asked when the taller boy stayed in place for a moment before placing a hand on her head, smiling and then following after Hunny. Blinking after the tall, attractive boy Kimiko sighed. She would never understand him, but she supposed that it was his way of comforting her since she knew that despite how hard she was trying to look happy, it was all just an act today and he must have noticed that.

After plating up the cakes on delicate, hand painted China and making coffee in matching cups, Kimiko placed everything on a mirror-like silver tray and made her way back to Katashi. She noted curiously that Kyouya wasn't entertaining anyone, not that it was really abnormal for him not to, but Tamaki was ignoring his own guests as well, something that was abnormal for the princely boy. He and Kyouya were talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers about something that was displaying on Kyouya's laptop. They seemed to be disagreeing over something and Kimiko had a feeling that Kyouya wasn't letting the blond in on something and figured she was right when he stubbornly sighed, running a hand through his hair before returning to his guests.

Shaking it off, Kimiko returned to her table and didn't think about the oddity again. She engaged in conversation and tried to keep her mind from wandering to the same places it always did on this day, every year. The 18th of every December was not a day she wanted to remember, but it would forever be etched in her memory.

She hummed to herself, pausing in her conversation about a book she had recently read to look over to see the twins going through her bag that she had left in the room used as a changing room and was just behind her. They were pulling out a pair of black, Grecian inspired high heels. She stood up and without explaining herself to Katashi, stalked to the room and pulled the shoes from Hikaru's hands.

"What are you doing going through my things?" she asked coldly.

Hikaru was the first to speak. "We noticed your bag seemed heavier."

"So we thought we'd take a look," Kaoru finished with a shrug.

"We weren't expecting to find such cool shoes."

"We're proud of you, Kimi-chan," they told her. "What are you gonna wear them with?"

"None of your business," she replied, snatching the shoes from them and glancing at the black dress they had apparently not noticed that was hanging on a rack near the changing curtain.

Having caught her looking away, both boys turned around and were off the floor and critically looking over the black dress that she had brought with her.

"It's kind of boring," they informed her bluntly.

"For your information, that boring dress was the last thing my father gave me before he died," she hissed darkly. Putting her shoes back into her bag, Kimiko shot the twins a glare and walked out to rejoin Katashi.

"Everything ok?" he asked, sensing that she was upset, but not sure he should try to pry or not.

"Yeah, sorry," she replied, smiling a smile that was clearly fake as she took a bite of her cake and a sip of her coffee.

Since Katashi was her only request for the day, he stayed to talk to her since he had a feeling she needed a distraction. When the club was finally closing for business and Kimiko was picking up the dirty dishes to take to the pantry, he said his goodbyes and made his way towards the double doors that would lead him back to the halls of Ouran. He was already down the hall when the sound of a loud crash and the sound of dishes breaking echoed through the corridor.

Kimiko had dropped the silver tray she had been carrying just outside of the pantry, her face had paled drastically and her hands were shaking at her sides, she hadn't lowered them after dropping the tray, but kept them out as if the tray was still in her hands. All around her was broken china, spilled coffee and cake crumbs.

Tamaki and Kyouya came out of the pantry at the same time Hunny, Mori and Haruhi rushed over to see that Kimiko was alright. Even the twins seemed concerned and they too made their way over.

"That name," Kimiko whispered. "Where did you hear that name?" she asked shakily, looking up to lock eyes with Kyouya while slowly lowering her hands to her sides and curling her fingers into fists.

"Kimiko-hime, are you-"

"Shut up, Tamaki," she snapped, her eyes filling with hot tears that spilled unnoticed from her eyes. "Answer me, Kyouya, where did you hear that name?" Her voice was shaking with a mixture of rage and fear as she faced Kyouya again.

"I don't know what-"

"Don't try to blow me off," she yelled, her cheeks reddening. "That name isn't a common one, where did you hear it?"

"Are you ok, Kimi-chan?" Hunny asked worriedly, stepping up beside her to take her hand.

"No, I'm not ok, Hunny-senpai. I want to know where you heard that name, Kyouya, and why you were speaking it."

"The twins were concerned over the incident at the mall over the weekend and out of curiosity I did some research. There was a story in an American tabloid a few years back about a certain heiress being kidnapped. That heiress was you," Kyouya answered. "I didn't think it was true, it was just a tabloid after all, but I did some more digging and found a lot of interesting things. I still didn't know whether it was all a lie or not, but judging by your reaction I'm willing to bet that it's true."

She was speechless, her eyes widened and her lips parted in shock as she stared at Kyouya. Swallowing, Kimiko attempted to regain herself and look as regal as possible. "Whether it's true or not is none of your business. Why would you go digging into my past? There's no benefit in for you."

"I don't do everything because it's beneficial to me," Kyouya replied coolly.

Kimiko's eyes narrowed and she once again got the distinct feeling the Ootori third son knew something that she did not and it irked her to no end. "The story was a lie, I wasn't kidnapped and I don't appreciate you delving into my past without my permission."

"I told you how I know the name, why don't you tell us how you know the name," Kyouya suggested.

Her teeth ground together and her head bowed slightly, her bangs falling into her eyes. "It's none of your business."

"After such a strong reaction, you won't tell us why the name, Kurenai Tsuki, is familiar to you," Kyouya pressed.

She couldn't help it, she took a step forward and swept her hand over Kyouya's cheek. "It's none of your business! I warned you before that sticking your nose into other people's business was likely to get it removed from your body. I suggest you remember that before speaking that name to me again." Brushing past Kyouya who seemed unaffected by her reaction or by the red print that was blooming across his left cheek, Kimiko made her way into the changing room, slamming and locking the door behind her.

"What just happened?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, why was Kimi-chan so upset?" Hunny piped up, Mori grunting and nodding to show he too wanted to know.

"Is it really any of our business," Haruhi spoke up. "It seemed pretty obvious she didn't want to talk about it, so maybe we shouldn't either."

"Oh, Haruhi, you're such a good girl, give daddy a hug," Tamaki cried, his eyes brimming with tears as he embraced his 'daughter.'

"Get off me, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi complained, pushing the blond away from her.

Upon realizing that they weren't going to be getting answers, the twins wandered off and Hunny and Mori followed suit.

* * *

Kimiko took her time getting changed, hoping that by the time she came out, everyone would be gone. When she finally slipped her feet into her heels after redoing her hair and make up and slipping into the black dress she had brought with her, Kimiko was fairly certain everyone was gone. There was no noise from the other side of the door and after a quick look in the mirror to make sure the knee length dress with it's square neck and silver and pearl brooch on the band around her chest before it draped around her elegantly, was adjusted correctly, Kimiko retrieved a black shawl from her bag and wrapped it around her shoulders.

After picking up her bag, she opened the door to the main room and started the trek across it, her heels clicking against the marble as she walked. She froze when she noticed that Kyouya was still in the room, sitting at a table typing away at his laptop with his back to her. Frowning, Kimiko decided to ignore him and finish her walk across the room. She could faintly see the red mark she had left on his cheek as she passed by him, it made her feel a little guilty, but he had deserved it and she was pretty sure he knew it. He had had no right to go digging into her past and dragging up even more memories that she hadn't wanted to think about, but that Hikaru and Kaoru had began to pull back to the surface with their 'invitation' to their mother's store.

"Kimiko," Kyouya called before she could reach the door.

She paused, but didn't turn to look at him, just stared at the door.

"I apologize if I offended you earlier, it wasn't my intention."

"It might not have been your intention, Kyouya, but that didn't stop you from looking into my past without my permission. If there's something you'd like to know about me I'd prefer if you asked."

"Will you tell the truth?" Kyouya asked.

Kimiko glanced over her shoulder and let her green eyes and Kyouya's smoky gray eyes meet. She took a moment to think before replying. "How about we make a deal?"

Kyouya's lips tweaked into a small smirk. "A deal, huh? What kind of deal?"

"You promise to never snoop around in my business again and I'll answer any questions you might have."

"That's it? Seems like I'm getting the better end of the deal."

She chuckled sweetly, but it was empty, hollow. "No, there's more. I'm not obligated to answer with anything more than a yes or no unless I feel like it and just to make it more interesting, for every ten questions you ask, I get to ask one of my own."

"Only every ten?"

"Yes, I'm willing to let you have the better end of the deal so long as you agree to keep your nose to yourself."

"I'm surprised you're not trying to lower your debt, are you sure those are the terms you want?" Kyouya inquired.

Kimiko smirked. "I'm not worried about the debt, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"I see. In that case, you have a deal."

"I know," Kimiko replied giving Kyouya a sly smirk of her own. "As I'm sure you're aware, today marks the third anniversary of my father's death. I will be visiting the Aratoshi's private tomb since it's as close to him as I can get. That means that our game will have to start later, I hope that's not a problem?"

"Not at all, but since there's not much time to talk privately here and I have lots of questions, why don't we meet for dinner later," Kyouya suggested. "I'll even pay and not add the cost to your debt."

"How generous of you. I suppose there's no harm in having dinner together," she replied. "However, I'm not in the mood to go out, and I would think with that red mark on your cheek, you aren't either. If you want dinner and privacy, then you're welcome to join me for dinner at home."

"What time?"

* * *

"We'll be having a guest for dinner tonight, Haka, please inform the kitchen staff," Kimiko said as she stepped into the waiting black car as Haka held the door for her.

"A guest, Kimiko-sama?"

"Yes, Kyouya Ootori. He and I have some business to take care of so I invited him over. Is that a problem?"

"No, you've just never had a friend over before."

"I wouldn't call him a friend, he's more like a thorn in my foot that won't go away," she retorted.

"Then why invite him over?"

"We made a deal."

"Do I want to know?" Haka asked.

"No, probably not. Not to worry though, I promise his intentions are pure."

"I don't find that funny, Kimiko-sama," Haka scolded lightly.

"Sometimes, Haka, you're far too serious." Kimiko teased.

* * *

Kimiko took a deep breath when she saw the brief splash of lights through her windows and let it out before venturing out of her room to greet her guest. She wasn't sure what to expect from their dinner, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be all fun and games.

Her feet were bare and she was wearing a simple pair of bootcut jeans and a purple t-shirt beneath a long, black, knit lace sweater. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail and swept her bangs out of her face, securing them into place with a clip with decorative flowers. The sleeves of the sweater were somewhat long and she couldn't help but to fiddle with them as she made her way downstairs where she could hear Haka speaking to Kyouya's own personal entourage.

"There you are, Kimiko-sama, Kyouya-sama has been shown to the family dining room," Haka informed her.

She replied with a nod before turning to her left at the bottom of the stairs. The family dining room was much smaller than the main dining room that was used for entertaining large groups of people and it would give them the privacy that Kimiko wanted to be sure they had.

"Right on time, Kyouya, not that I'm surprised," Kimiko said as she walked into the small room, the back wall was made of dark tinted glass and the others were painted a deep red. The furnishings were dark wood with accents of different red tones, black and some silver.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting," he replied with a smile.

"Right," she drawled. "Dinner should be ready in just a moment. Would you like something to drink? There's water on the table, help yourself. Tea should be brought out in a moment as well, I hope you don't mind oolong."

"It's one of my favorites."

"I'm sure, so would you like to start asking questions now or later?"

"You sure don't waste any time, do you?" Kyouya remarked in amusement.

"No, I'd rather get tonight over with, I have a feeling that it will be..painful."

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9 Revelations

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

Since I don't believe years were ever given in the story, we're going to say that this is taking place in December of 2003 since the story was first published in that year.

**Chapter 9**

**Revelations**

"Just so that I'm sure, you will be telling the truth, won't you?" Kyoya questioned. He was making himself perfectly comfortable in the chair he was in. Folding his arms over his chest and cocking his head to watch her with curiosity.

Kimiko nodded, glancing briefly away from the boy across from her. It was different seeing him out of his school uniform, in jeans and a long sleeved navy polo shirt with his hair slightly messy. It was a big change from the normally put together Kyoya she was used to, though she had to admit, a bit unwillingly, that he looked much better out of his uniform. He seemed much more relaxed than Kimiko had ever seen him and she wasn't sure what to make of it yet. While he was relaxed like he was now, it was much easier to see the calculating, cold and arrogant side of him that was usually kept well hidden. While this side of him showed through more, there was now a more human air to him. He didn't seem as unreachable and distant as he usually did at school.

"You don't seem very willing to agree to your own terms," Kyoya pointed out smugly, though Kimiko thought there was a hint of amusement there too.

A young woman walked into the room from a side door, bowed politely, blushed upon seeing Kyoya who ignored her entirely, and set a pot of tea down on the table as well as two tea cups. She poured the tea and set one cup before Kyoya and the other before Kimiko before bowing again and taking her leave.

Kimiko took a breath and exhaled slowly, staring in to the tea that had just been set before her. When she looked back up, she met Kyoya's eyes with a look that made the boy think that she had a very good reason to not want to agree to her terms. There was something missing in her eyes, they weren't right and for a moment it unnerved him. When he realized what was missing, he had second thoughts about taking her up on her offer.

The light he was used to seeing in her eyes, was gone. The spark of enjoyment when she was goofing off with the twins or eating cake with Hunny or Mori or even simply making tea, was nowhere to be found. There was a blankness there that made him feel like he was looking at a doll.

"If you ask the questions I'm expecting you to, you'll find out soon enough why I don't want to tell the truth. Why I haven't told the truth," Kimiko replied blankly. She was withdrawing into herself, erecting a barrier between herself and her own emotions which she expected to take quite a beating tonight. "The things that I decide to tell you will remain between us. If they don't..Well, I'd just like to remind you that you are only a third son."

"Are you implying I wouldn't be missed," Kyoya asked with an amused smile.

The side door creaked open again and the same young woman walked in, holding the door while two men carried in trays of food.

"Now why would I do such a thing," she answered, giving him a cold smile. Plates of food were placed before her and Kyoya. She didn't bother looking at what was even there, she already knew. Miso soup, rice, poached salmon, a few pieces of sushi and pickled plums. The waiters were dismissed with a small nod from her and after a quick bow, she and Kyoya were left alone once again.

"You don't have to worry, I don't plan on sharing anything I learn."

"Out of curiosity, why did you agree to the deal? Why do you want to know about me so badly?"

"You're cheating. We agreed that for every ten questions I asked, you would ask one. I haven't asked anything yet." He replied, a pompous smile pulling at his lips.

"Then what do you want to know first?" She asked, picking up a piece of sushi with her chopsticks.

"Hm, where to start," he sighed. "How are you liking Japan? This isn't your first time here, is it?"

Kimiko let a brow tilt up as she stared blankly at Kyoya while he picked up a piece of his own sushi. After finishing her own piece, she replied, "No, it's not my first visit, which I'm sure you are aware of. I've been here many times, but usually for no longer than two months. As for how I like Japan, I like it just fine. Then again, I haven't had much time to enjoy it recently."

"Maybe we can rectify that in the future," Kyoya replied conversationally, picking up another piece of sushi from his plate.

"Uh huh," she responded, unenthusiastically. "If by we you mean you and I or you, I and the Host Club you're out of your mind. I get to enjoy your company far too often." A piece of salmon followed by some rice was popped into her mouth. Their entire conversation was now revolving around bites of food.

"You make it sound as if you don't like spending time with the Host Club."

She snorted quietly and tossed her head to the side to roll her eyes, chewing on more rice and salmon. "I don't. And why should I? I'm there to work, not have fun."

"You can work and have fun," Kyoya suggested flippantly.

There was a few minutes of silence while the two decided to focus on simply eating. It wasn't broken until Kimiko had eaten a good deal of her food and set her chopsticks down.

"As much as I don't mind small talk, Kyoya, perhaps you should get to the point once you're finished eating. You already have a list of questions to ask I'm sure. Skip the rest of the simple, boring stuff you were going to ask first to make me feel more secure. You want to know if I was kidnapped as a child, right?"

Gray eyes lit with amusement at Kimiko's blunt scolding and at how she had predicted that he planned on asking a series of less serious questions before working his way to the more interesting and serious ones. It appeared as if he was going to be saved from frivolous and meaningless chit chat. "When you put it that way...Yes, I'm interested in learning if you were kidnapped as a child."

"Yes," she answered blandly, eyes never leaving Kyoya's.

"So there was truth to the tabloid story?"

"Outside of the fact that I was kidnapped, there is no truth to any of that story."

"You promised not to lie," Kyoya pointed out.

"I'm not lying," Kimiko replied a bit forcefully, voice laced with bitterness. "Don't look at me like you want further explanation. You want answers? Ask the right questions."

"There is no truth to the rest of the story," he mused as he leaned back into his chair. "What is the biggest fallacy in the story?"

Kimiko barely needed to think about her answer. "The dates. The year is correct, but that's it."

This struck Kyoya as interesting. Why was it important that the dates be incorrect? What was being hidden with the changing of them and how should he ask his questions to get the most out of the answers. "When were you kidnapped?"

"December 11."

There was little time to hide the small jolt that made him look up at Kimiko in surprise as she stared at him with eyes that seemed empty, but weren't if you looked hard enough. A sea of emotion lay beneath the surface, but she was keeping everything neatly hidden, trying not to show which questions effected her more.

"If the year was correct... then you were kidnapped on December 11, 2000. Just over three years ago."

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"Both, but just to clarify, let's say it's a question."

"Yes, I was kidnapped on December 11, 2000."

"The name K-"

"I already warned you not to say that name," Kimiko cut in in a low growl, the hand grasping her tea cup tightening until her knuckles turned white while her other hand's fingers dug painfully into her leg. "Just ask whatever you want, but do not say the name. Understood?"

"Yes, I apologize. This may seem redundant, but you are familiar with the name, right?"

"Yes," she answered trying to keep all emotion from her face and voice. She wanted to remain distant to the entire conversation, answering questions as quickly and as simply as possible.

"The name, does it represent one person or an organization?"

There was a short pause, but she replied simply with, "Both."

"So both a person and an organization go by the same name. Interesting. Was it the organization that was responsible for your kidnapping?"

She couldn't even bring herself to answer the question, she was clenching her jaw too forcefully. When she answered, after a short pause to make sure her answer couldn't be construed as a lie, she shook her head stiffly.

Kyoya's brow shot up, he hadn't expected a no. From the little research he had done, there was no way that anyone but Kurenai Tsuki could have been responsible for Kimiko's kidnapping. After some brief thought, he asked, "Did the organization carry out the kidnapping, but under someone else's orders?"

"That's question eleven, before I answer I get to ask you a question of my own," Kimiko stated, leaning back into her chair, Kyoya following suit and giving her a nod to signal he was ok with that. "There's something that you know about the ending of my engagement to Katsuro that I don't, isn't there?"

Remaining nonchalant, Kyoya replied easily and simply, "Yes." He raised his tea cup and took a delicate sip, eyes remaining fixed on Kimiko.

Green eyes narrowing slightly, Kimiko forced herself not to demand what that something was then and there. They had a deal and if it took a little bit of time for her to figure out just what the black haired boy across from her was up to then she would just have to be patient and wait.

"Yes, they were the ones to carry out the kidnapping at someone else's orders." Adjusting her position in her seat to cover her annoyance and growing unease, Kimiko glanced down to dust off her sweater and take a moment to reapply her distant and uncaring facade. When Kyoya asked his next question, she continued to look down into her lap.

"Was it the individual that goes by the same name?"

Kimiko sighed and continued to refuse to look up at Kyoya. "Yes. She was apparently known by that name for a long time before the kidnapping. The organization was named after her, apparently she was quite well known in Japan, but faded into anonymity when she married. She didn't reappear until my abduction."

"I may not know much about the Yakuza, but I know enough about the Aratoshi's to know that they had no ties to any Yakuza families. Was there a reason why you were targeted?"

There was a long pause in which Kimiko looked up, but still kept her eyes from ever meeting Kyoya's and glanced around the room before settling her gaze on a black candle holder in the center of the table. "Yes," she answered quietly. "Jealousy. Spite. Greed. There are plenty of reasons, take your pick."

"You seem to know a lot about your own abduction," Kyoya observed. Of course in itself this wasn't entirely odd, what was odd was how much she seemed to know about every party involved. "Was the responsible party ever found and tried?"

Standing suddenly enough to actually cause the normally cool and collected black haired boy to jolt in his seat, Kimiko finally met his gaze. Blank pools of green met deep gray orbs. "I forgot to mention that I had other motives in inviting you here tonight. Hopefully your food has settled enough, I need a dancing partner. It's been a long time since I've bothered to dance at a formal party." Without another word, she swept past him and out of the room.

It took him a moment to register what had just happened, but Kyoya rose after a slight pause and followed after Kimiko. She had already disappeared when he walked into the hall, but the soft music that had just began to play from a room a few doors down where the door had been left ajar was his best guess as to where she had disappeared to. The room turned out to be a ballroom of sorts, the sleek surface of the smooth marble floors shined to perfection and the chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling cast a soft glow throughout the room while notes of classical music filtered in through hidden speakers. Kimiko was at first nowhere to be seen, but she appeared in front of him not long after he had pushed the door all the way open.

She didn't say a word as she took his hand and led him towards the center of the room where she stopped and faced him, but refused to meet his eyes. Placing her hands in their appropriate places, she was glad to find that Kyoya was going to go along with it as he placed a hand on her waist and adjusted his grip on the other.

"Ready?" He asked, studying her every move and her face while he stared down at the green eyed girl who was once again avoiding his gaze.

She nodded and was immediately whisked into the slow steps of the waltz.

"The woman behind the abduction plans was never found by police and there's only a select few who are aware of what actually happened during that week. I have never told anyone, not even my family, everything that happened," Kimiko said, never hesitating in her steps as the tempo picked up slightly. "The only one to know everything is myself. Haka knows a great deal as well and I'm sure he suspects more, but he's never asked about it."

Choosing to take some time to think over Kimiko's answer, Kyoya watched the girl as she pointedly refused to look directly into his eyes and instead stared at his shoulder or a spot behind him. It was obvious she was trying to hold herself together and remain as detached as possible, but it was also obvious by the way she was gripping his hand just a little too tightly and the paleness of her cheeks despite the fact that they were dancing, that she was failing. Normally other people's emotions didn't mean much to him, he had other things to worry about, but he was beginning to see that Tamaki may have been right. The new addition to the Host Club may have been more fragile than any of them had realized all along.

"You said that week." Kyoya realized her small slip and blinked down at Kimiko, not failing to notice her grow paler and her posture grow tense. "Your kidnapping lasted one week?"

She swallowed, having a hard time keeping her breathing even and feeling her chest tighten painfully. It hadn't been her intention to hint that she had been held captive for a week, she had just said it without thinking and now she regretted it. There was a chance that if it hadn't been for that comment that Kyoya wouldn't have caught on too quickly to what had really happened. "Yes," she replied tersely, knowing that it was a matter of seconds now before Kyoya would be able to put all the pieces together.

"That would mean that-" he would have stopped dancing, but Kimiko was still moving and after a misstep, he continued, his eyes widening as several things suddenly jumped out at him. "Today. Three years ago today you were released."

She nodded, keeping her eyes locked on his shoulder as they continued through the dance. She would have looked dead if it weren't for the fact that she blinked every few seconds to hold back the mist that was threatening to cloud her vision.

"Your father, he died three years ago today, didn't he?"

Again, Kimiko only nodded.

"Was his death a result of the abduction?" Kyoya asked, but he already knew that there was little doubt that the two incidents were connected. He was beginning to regret having dug up her past, he had had no idea that there were things of this magnitude that had been kept hidden with money and silence from her. She had been through more than most people of their standing could ever even imagine and yet she was still trying to make the most of her life. He had to admire her for that, for her perseverance and the strength it had to have taken to go on living every day despite the hardships she faced.

"Yes," she whispered. No longer able to hold back the tears that were trying to break free, Kimiko blinked and let the warm salt water trickle from her eyes. "I saw all of it. The dogs that were set on him, the woman who set them on him after he refused to give her what she wanted and I saw the man that slit his throat."

"Who," he asked before he could stop himself and cursing himself for not having better self control when the tears began to leak faster from the lifeless eyes of the girl he was dancing with.

Kimiko turned her green gaze up to him, she was breathing rapidly and her breaths were becoming sharper with each one she took. She was fighting to remain calm, to not let her emotions get the best of her and to keep her breathing steady, but she hadn't ever spoken of the kidnapping or what she had been through or seen. The only reason the people responsible had not been turned over to police was because of who they were and the only reason that anyone knew who they were was because Kimiko had been found by Haka who had secretly tracked her father.

"I apologize, you don't have to answer-"

"Sumi Takeda was the woman and her husband, Takahashi Hirosuma, was the man."

The names registered immediately in Kyoya's head and he couldn't help the minute widening of his eyes or the surprise that showed on his face as he realized just who she was talking about. He stopped dancing this time, the shock a bit more than he had expected, but he kept her hand in his and kept a steady hand on her waist as well."Your mother and step father. They were responsible?"

Trying to swallow and take deep breaths to try to keep her breathing even, Kimiko nodded as another tear streaked down her cheek. She was quickly losing her battle to keep her breathing in check though and despite her best efforts to breath normally was beginning to gasp and choke on air. "Yes... Do you... see why I don't talk about it?... Why everything that I was put through.. and the things done to me, can never be known? The whole thing was planned for years, my parents' marriage was nothing more than a hoax and my father didn't know it until the very end. If word got out... The scandal would be enormous and ruin the Aratoshi name." She was clutching at her chest now as her gasps became wheezes when all air she was managing to take in stayed pent up in her lungs and refused to be released.

Having grown up in a house where medicine was talked about daily it wasn't hard for Kyoya to notice her difficulty breathing was more than just emotions. "You're asthmatic," he observed.

She could only nod to confirm his statement as she began to have a full blown attack. She couldn't speak, much less take a breath as she choked and gasped for air, coughing violently when she was able to get it, but not expel it. Falling to her knees, she curled into a ball and closed her eyes while she clutched at her heaving chest, trying to think of nothing but calming down and not panicking.

"Your inhaler, I'm sure you have one, where is it," Kyoya asked.

"..Room.." She barely managed to choke out.

"I'll be right back-"

"No," she protested, tightening her hold on the hand Kyoya had never withdrawn from her hold which only resulted in sending her into another coughing fit.

"You need your-"

He was cut off as she began to stand, using him as a means to balance herself and keep herself standing. He didn't mind entirely, but he had to catch her when she took a shaky step forward and nearly collapsed. He had to pick her up, one arm beneath her knees and the other around her shoulders to keep her from falling again and was a bit surprised by the way she held on to him and rested her head on his shoulder without hesitation. Figuring that putting her down was out of the question, he settled for carrying her out of the room. The lower level of the large house didn't appear to have any rooms small enough to be bedrooms, but he did remember seeing a faint light in one of the upstairs windows when he arrived.

"Is your room upstairs," he asked, receiving a nod in response from Kimiko who continued to struggle for air. "To the left?" Another nod. "Last room on the left?" He received another nod and a confused look, but figured that now wasn't the time to explain how he knew which room was hers.

She was listening to the steady beat of his heart, focusing on it and closing her eyes. Trying to match her breathing to his. By the time they had reached her room, she had managed to get her breathing back under control so that she could at least take and release small, shallow breaths between the gasps and coughs.

When she was carried through the door to her room, she managed to tell Kyoya that her inhaler was in her purse on the table. He carried her to the closest couch and set her down, she immediately grabbed at the pink purse on the table. Her hands were badly shaking and her body was threatening to give out on her again since her muscles were being deprived of the oxygen they needed. Finally finding the gray inhaler, she shook it several times and pulled the cap off so that she could place the mouthpiece on her lips. Pushing down on the canister, a quiet puff was heard, followed by another.

Removing the gray inhaler from her lips, Kimiko was still breathing harshly, but she could already feel the tightening in her chest subsiding and the spasming in her lungs following suit as well. She collapsed into the couch and ignored Kyoya as she closed her eyes and let her breathing slowly return to normal.

"Are you alright," Kyoya inquired when Kimiko's breathing had even out and color had returned to her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, she reopened her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, though I don't suppose you actually care. Sorry for making you-"

"You might find it hard to believe, Kimiko, but I'm not completely uncaring. You seem to think I'm some cold, evil guy who only looks after himself and while I suppose I give that impression, that's not entirely true. I will do whatever it takes to try and make my way in this world, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about what happens to certain other people in it."

"You want me to believe you care about me," she asked incredulously. "I'm not that dumb, Kyoya. You don't care about me, there's something you're after that involves me and you're simply doing whatever it takes to get it."

"You don't trust anyone, do you?" He asked.

"After what you just learned, you're seriously asking me that question? My own mother had me kidnapped and then watched as my father was killed protecting me and then married the bastard who killed him with his own hands. I was forced to live everyday of my life for the last three years with those same people and there was nothing I could do about it. I was beaten, threatened, demoralized on a daily basis, I wasn't always allowed to eat and I was forced into an engagement that would essentially leave me powerless to run the company that my father left to me after working so hard to build it up. There's more if you'd like to hear it. It's not a pretty story and I have the scars to prove it."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Why? So you have blackmail information? I'll pass," she replied blandly.

"You'll never trust me, will you?" He inquired, taking a seat on the couch opposite her and making himself comfortable.

"Should I? You haven't given me much reason to want to so far."

"I suppose that's true, but I'd like to point out that while I may have researched your past, you too researched the entire Host Club as well as many of the other students at Ouran, didn't you?"

Stubbornly tossing her head to the side, Kimiko snorted arrogantly. "Yes, I did. So what?"

"You did the same thing as I did," he pointed out. "That's beside the point though. What else have I done to give you reason to distrust me?"

"You're hiding something from me about the ending of my engagement," she replied bitterly. "I want to know what."

Kyoya remained silent for awhile, the coldness seeming to melt away as he became serious and looked away from Kimiko. "Your mother didn't choose to end the engagement out of the kindness of her heart. She wouldn't have gained anything if she had."

Blinking, her eyes widening, Kimiko was shocked by what he was implying. "She was paid off?"

"Yes."

"By whom and why," she asked.

He shrugged. "How would I know?"

Green eyes narrowing, Kimiko leaned forward. "But you do know, don't you?"

All he did was blink back at her blankly. "No."

"You're lying," she hissed accusingly.

"Why would I lie? I'm trying to gain your trust, not lose it."

"Why bother trying, Kyoya?" Kimiko sighed heavily. "You're after something that I have and that's the only reason I see you wanting to get closer to me, to win my trust and take whatever it is you're trying so hard to get."

"I'm not trying to take anything from you, I do want to get closer to you though. It would be quite beneficial for the both of us, don't you think?"

"If you were to be named the successor to your father's businesses I could see that being beneficial to me, but you're only a third son," she pointed out rudely. "That's not beneficial to me."

Kyoya smirked at Kimiko, pushing his glasses up his nose with one slender finger. "I may be only a third son, but I don't plan on being overlooked. Just as you'll do whatever it takes to make your father's business successful, I'll do whatever it takes to prove that I'm more capable than my two brothers. I will make a name for myself and when I do I would think that our friendship would be quite helpful. After all, you do want to expand more in Japan, don't you?"

"How would you benefit?"

Another smirk and a small chuckle. "In the long run it remains to be seen, but as for now..Well, I don't think my father would ignore a close friendship with the girl who stands to inherit millions of dollars and the most notable medical manufacturing companies in the world."

"Are all of your friends just tools to get you noticed?"

"Sometimes."

"At least you're honest about it," she mumbled with an eye roll.

"Why would I lie? We both stand to gain quite a bit if we use each other. So what do you say, Kimiko, would like to join forces and become allies?"

For a moment she simply stared at him, wondering just what he was up to. After some thought, she knew the only way to find out would be to go along with him and 'join forces' as he put it. She couldn't say she minded, she could gain a lot from Kyoya and though he was often more annoying than anything, she found that she didn't mind being around him. He wasn't actively a bad person, he was just doing whatever it took to make his way in the world and that was something that she could understand entirely."Sure, why not."

He smiled at her and for a second Kimiko was reminded that he was incredibly good looking and that she was alone with him. She stiffened slightly in realization, but relaxed not long after. If he had wanted to do anything, he had had plenty of opportunities already.

"I should be going," Kyoya said, rising from his seat on the couch. "It's getting late."

Kimiko stood up as well, but with her muscles still somewhat weak, she stumbled forward after taking one step. A small cry slipped from her lips, but she never impacted the ground like she had expected. Instead she found herself firmly held up by strong even if slim arms. Blinking, she looked up to see Kyoya looking down at her, an eyebrow raised and his lips quirked into a slight smile.

"Uh...Sorry," she managed to stutter, blushing and looking away when she felt the heat on her cheeks. His breath was splashing across her cheek and it was distracting especially since he looked quite good up close when he was actually smiling and not faking it. 'This is Kyoya, Kyoya. The guy who's hiding stuff from me and wants to use me. The same guy I was just holding on to and leaning on for support.' Her inner thoughts only cause her groan mentally and blush even more, cursing herself all the while.

Clearing her throat, Kimiko spoke again. "I'll show you back downstairs."

There was really no thought involved in what he did, just the urge to reach out and take her hand in his again. He did and when Kimiko turned to look at him, wide eyed and confused, he covered his momentary lapse of self control and smiled a princely smile before leaning over her hand and placing a quick kiss on the back of her fingers. "I haven't thanked you yet, for the invitation and the dinner. So thank you."

Nodding numbly, her brows drawing together in thought over Kyoya's strange actions, Kimiko simply turned and led him from the room and back to the lower level and entrance.

"Thank you for dinner," Kyoya said again once they had stopped before the doorway. "I'll have to repay you sometime. Don't worry, it'll be my treat," he told her when she raised an eyebrow at him.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You really are something else, Kyoya."

"Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment," she grumbled, scratching at the side of her chin.

It was at that moment that she noticed him hesitate, as if he had wanted to say something more, but a door to her left was opened and Haka walked into the entry with Kyoya's three personal guards behind him. She wanted to curse their timing since she was quite curious what the bespectacled boy had to say, especially after his bizarre behavior in her room. It was as if he had gone from himself to Kyoya the Host within seconds and there hadn't appeared to be a reason for it.

Kyoya smiled and bowed slightly to her. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Kimiko. Oh, don't forget that the twins will be requiring you to join them after club activities. They have quite a few dress ideas for you. I helped narrow down the selection, after all, you are my assistant and need to look the part."

Kimiko couldn't help but to let out a small groan at the thought of being manhandled by the two boys as they dressed her up however they wanted as if she were their own personal doll. She glared at Kyoya when he chuckled at her and huffed stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away.

After he had gone, Kimiko was making her way back up the stairs when Haka said something that made her stop and grasp tightly to the banister.

"That boy, Kyoya Ootori, he was here several times in the few weeks before your mother left. One of the kitchen staff told me. I don't know what the meaning of his visits were, but I thought you should be aware."

'There's no way that he's the one responsible for paying off my mother...Is there?' She thought to herself, her eyes widening. 'Why? What could he possibly gain from ending my engagement and paying my mother to move and leave me here alone? I know he's after something, but what and why go so far? It just doesn't make sense.'

"Thank you, Haka, I'll keep that in mind," Kimiko replied, continuing her climb up the stairs.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10 The Devil

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 10 **

**The Devil**

Sighing tiredly, but trying her best to smile brightly, Kimiko waved good bye to the twins and their mother with as much energy as she could manage. The entire afternoon after class and Host Club duty, where she spent her time putting things that Kyoya had 'acquired' from members of the club up for auction online, she had been forced to endure the twins and their much too enthusiastic attempts to get her into new dresses that their mom had designed. She wasn't interested in any of them though and it took her nearly an hour of repeating herself and constantly turning the twins and their selections away before their mom had intervened and asked what was wrong.

Once Kimiko had explained that she didn't want to wear a dress that exposed too much of her back because she was shy and had a really ugly mole, their mother had joined them in their antics to find the perfect dress for her. As of yet, they still didn't have one picked out, but they had all of her measurements and had promised to make her something awesome by the day of the party. She had however found several other things that she had really liked and now had three bags in her hands.

Walking out of the shop that she had spent several hours in, Kimiko nearly ran right into Haka when she turned around to search for him. "Sorry," she chuckled. Haka simply raised a brow at her, she was rather ruffled looking. Her hair was messy and her uniform needed a good ironing.

"Were you able to find a dress?"

Looking around Haka's large frame, Kimiko blinked at Kyoya. He was leaning casually into the wall beside the shop and seemed to be fairly amused by her rather disheveled state. "What are you doing here," she asked bluntly.

"I thought you might be hungry after spending all afternoon at the mercy of the twins and I thought I'd repay you for dinner. If you feel up to it of course," Kyoya replied smoothly.

Kimiko frowned slightly, she had spent most of the day ignoring the Ootori and she was sure he had noticed. He probably figured that her distance had to do with the previous night and the fact that she had broken down in front of him after telling him the story of her kidnapping. He would be right, but that wasn't everything. She was suspicious of him and wanted to know what it was that he was truly after and why he had been visiting her mother in the weeks before the ending of her engagement to Katsuro.

"Sure, dinner would be nice, but do you mind if I freshen up a bit first," she replied shaking off her frown and smiling brightly.

"Not at all. Take your time."

Excusing herself, Kimiko made her way to the nearest bathroom and brushed out her hair before touching up her make up. With no intention of going out to eat in her school uniform, Kimiko set her bags down and picked through the contents pulling out the things she wanted and quickly pulling on a pair of distressed jeans and slipping into a long, but low cut black tank top which she shrugged a long sleeved, ruffled red cardigan over before quickly putting on a pair of black flats. Throwing her uniform haphazardly into one of the bags, Kimiko left the bathroom to see just what the night would hold for her.

"Sorry about that, but I'm ready now," she said with a smile to Kyoya.

"Good. Shall we," he asked, charmingly offering her his arm after Haka freed her hands of the bags she was carrying.

"We shall," she replied cheerily, taking the offered arm and letting Kyoya lead her through the mall.

"You seem to be in better spirits now," Kyoya observed while they walked.

"Do I?"

"Yes, or perhaps you didn't notice that you spent most of the day coldly ignoring my existence."

"Is that really different from every other day," Kimiko remarked cheekily, grinning up at him for a moment only to look away when he returned her look and she was reminded that up close and personal the Ootori was ridiculously handsome.

"Not really, but there seemed to be something bothering you. Anything on your mind?"

Kimiko frowned, but didn't respond immediately. She wasn't sure what to say. Admit that there was something on her mind and just ask him why he was visiting her mother or wait and find out on her own since she wasn't sure if he would tell her the truth or not. Sighing, she decided to be straight forward. "I have been told that in the weeks before my mother and step father returned to America that you were visiting the house often. Care to tell me why that is?"

If she had looked up sooner she might have caught the slight look of surprise that briefly flashed over his features before it disappeared. When she looked up, she was greeted with the Kyoya she was used to seeing during school, the one that was hiding his true intentions and was only acting the part that he was required to play for the time being so that he could attain as many useful friendships as possible.

"I was really hoping that you wouldn't find out about that," Kyoya answered with a slight trace of annoyance and what Kimiko thought was guilt.

"So you admit it," she pressed. "That you were visiting the house?"

He met her eyes with no hesitation. "Why would I deny it?"

She shrugged. "Because it seems like something you would do."

"Does it? Well, sorry to disappoint you, Kimiko, but I was visiting your mother and I have no problem admitting to it."

"Do you have a problem admitting why you were visiting the woman?"

A slight frown pulled at his lips and he stopped, startling Kimiko when he turned to face her. "You probably won't believe me, but it was out of concern for you."

"Me, you were concerned about me," Kimiko repeated in a mix of disbelief and confusion. Concern wasn't something that she thought the handsome boy in front of her was entirely capable of. She didn't believe he was nearly as cold as he sometimes acted, but she also knew better than to think he was extremely kind. In their world, kindness didn't usually get you far and it was exceptionally true for him since he was a third son and his rights to the family business were practically nonexistent unless he could make his two brothers look like nitwits and thoroughly embarrass them.

"Well, the entire Host Club was, really. You had a pretty big impact on them."

'Meaning, that it was the Host Club that was concerned not you,' Kimiko thought to herself, surprised by the sulkiness of her own inner voice which only irritated her.

"Ok, so what was it that you were trying to accomplish by visiting the witch," Kimiko inquired roughly.

"I was trying to see what it would take to end your engagement to Harashi-san."

Her green eyes widened and she gasped. 'There's no way... Is he really the one who paid her off?'

"I'm not the one who paid her off," he said, seeing the look in her eyes. "To be honest, she rarely spoke to me. I usually sat in the library, you have quite the collection by the way, only to be told she couldn't see me."

Kimiko studied him, letting her eyes search his for any sign that he might be lying. She was distrustful of everyone and everything and that wasn't going to change now simply because some pretty boy had gotten her to open up and form an alliance with him to strengthen both of their family's companies.

"Are you telling me the truth," she asked seriously, locking their eyes and refusing to let him look away. "Because if you're lying to me, Kyoya... I'll never forgive you."

It took him several moments to reply he was caught so off guard by the intensity of her eyes, but when he did, he smiled. "I'm not lying."

She continued to study him for several seconds eventually nodding and turning away. "Then I'll believe you and thank you for your concern."

He walked in silence beside her, his gray eyes hidden behind his glasses and a thoughtful look on his face. It was a good thing that Kimiko didn't notice, otherwise she might have realized that there was more to the story she had just been told.

"I just noticed, where are Chika and Tomoe?" Kimiko asked, looking around.

"Home," Haka answered shortly.

"Oh, ok."

"I offered to look after you, I have my own security detail after all, but it seems your friend here is quite loyal. He refused to leave you," Kyoya said.

"That sounds like Haka," Kimiko chuckled.

"Ah, here we are," Kyoya observed, pausing in front of a restaurant that appeared to be serving Italian cuisine. "You like Italian, right? It's one of the best restaurants in the area, I thought you'd enjoy it."

"Italian sounds great," Kimiko replied, though she was a little concerned about the atmosphere. She couldn't see very far inside, but from what she could see the restaurant was dimly lit and the tables were all fairly private there also appeared to be only couples eating inside.

Once inside the restaurant with Kyoya, Haka had stayed outside as had Kyoya's own guards who she still had yet to actually see, Kimiko noted that the restaurant was elegantly decorated and that the décor was very upscale and beautiful. It was a bit romantic for her tastes and she figured Kyoya's too by the way he glanced at one of the more affectionate couples they passed with disdain.

"Are we still playing our little game," Kyoya asked after they had been seated and had taken some time to look over the menu and order.

"Depends, I lost track of how many more questions you have until I get one of my own."

"How about you ask me anything you'd like and we'll call it even and begin a new round," he suggested flippantly.

Shrugging, she figured it couldn't hurt to play along. After all, she was the one who had said she would answer his questions and she highly doubted that he would ask anything too serious or personal while they were in public. "Hmm, lets see... What should I ask?" She tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin, trying to think of a good question to ask. "Ah, I know. How much money do I _really_ owe the Host Club?"

"Well, I don't know the exact number off the top of my head," Kyoya replied. "But it's not the amount I originally told you."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Kimiko complained stubbornly.

"Perhaps not, but it is an answer and it does confirm your suspicions that I was lying about the real amount," Kyoya said, giving her an arrogant smile when she sourly glared at him. "My turn. What's your favorite flower?"

Kimiko blinked. Kyoya didn't strike her as the type of guy who would want to know what type of flowers anyone liked. "Uh, I like orchids."

"Color?"

"Orchids? Pink or purple, I guess..."

"Favorite food?"

"Food, I guess that would be anything fresh. Salads, fruits, vegetables."

"Good to know. Now what about Katashi-san, you two are getting close, aren't you?"

"Uh.." Kimiko was thoroughly confused by the turn the questions had taken and she was sure she probably would have blushed at the meaning behind Kyoya's words if she wasn't so turned around. "Yeah, I guess. He's a nice guy and a good friend."

"I see. Is that all he is? A friend?" Kyoya asked casually.

"Yeah... I'm confused. Why do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "Just curious, I suppose. It would be a problem if you were to get involved with one of your guests. Should your popularity with the male student body ever grow, anyway."

"Why do I feel like that was meant to be an insult," Kimiko grumbled.

Kyoya just smiled charmingly and ignored her comment. "Speaking of the student body, as you are aware, the Christmas party is this weekend. Have you made any progress in getting those ten requests? I'm sure Katashi-san will be there, but anyone else?"

Sliding down in her seat, Kimiko refused to meet Kyoya's amused stare. "No. I'm not very good at being sociable."

"Well, that's alright. I know that the twins, Tamaki and probably Mori and Hunny-senpai will want to dance with you at least once. That would bring you six requests, including Katashi-san that would be seven."

"Yeah, but it's still not ten and that was the deal."

"And if I ask you to dance that would be eight, but since I'm the one in charge of your debt, I suppose we could make a deal," Kyoya said slyly, giving her a blank smile.

Looking up with a crooked and suspicious frown, Kimiko waited for Kyoya to explain himself.

"I don't think that it's entirely your fault that you haven't gotten many requests. The Host Club is well known on campus for entertaining only female students in a rather ostentatious manner. Chances are that despite your best efforts to get them to request you, many of them are a bit worried about what they'll see when they get to the club. Not that I can blame them, the twins and Tamaki can get a little carried away," Kyoya added with a sigh.

"A little," Kimiko snorted sarcastically.

"Yes, well, as I was saying. We could make a deal to lower your debt since its unlikely that you'll get the ten requests that we agreed you would have to get to lower the amount you owe the Club by thirty percent."

"And that deal would be?"

"Since you have gotten ten requests, even if they were mostly by the same person, I'll lower your debt by fifteen percent."

"What's the catch," Kimiko asked.

"The catch is that at the end of the night you have to have to..." Kyoya trailed off upon realizing that there was someone leering at them from over the wall that separated their booth they were in from the one behind Kimiko.

"What," Kimiko asked, tilting her head to try and see what Kyoya was looking at to see nothing. When she looked back at Kyoya, she noticed that there seemed to be someone standing by their table. There was no time for her to figure out what was happening before Tamaki's face was in front of hers. Crying out in surprise over having a face suddenly looming in front of her, she jumped and tossed the hot coffee she had been sipping from into Tamaki's face. She blinked in confusion when she fully realized that it was Tamaki that was standing over the table, soaked with coffee.

Tamaki also was stunned by the reaction and it took him a moment to register that the coffee that was dripping down his face was really, really hot. "Hot! Hot! Hot! It's hooooootttttt!"

"Shut up you idiot, we're in a restaurant," Kyoya scolded, smacking the boy upside the head with a look that said he was far from amused at the moment.

"But it was hot," Tamaki sniffled, wiping at his eyes.

"I'm not surprised, it was coffee after all," Kyoya replied coldly. "Now if you're done, would you go away?"

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?" His golden eyes sparkled with hope and he tried to give Kyoya his best pleading look.

"Can't say I care," Kyoya said.

"Me either," Kimiko agreed blandly when Tamaki turned his puppy dog expression to her and he began to droop since 'mother' was being mean to him.

"If you and the twins are done spying, would you leave please? Kimiko and I were in the middle of-"

"A date?" Tamaki cut in.

"No," Kyoya sighed agitatedly. "Talking."

"Hey, how'd you know we were here," Hikaru asked, popping up from around the corner, followed by Kaoru.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," Kyoya replied shortly. "Are you done yet? I was in the middle of-"

"So Kimi-chan," Hikaru said, sliding into the booth beside her and slinging an arm around her. "Those clothes look good on you."

"Sure do, our mom's awesome, isn't she," Kaoru sang, sliding into the booth on the other side of her since Tamaki had forced Kyoya to stand up to let them all into the booth.

"Yes, she's great, but why are you all here," she growled. The booth was large, but not large enough for five people and she was annoyed at having to be squished between Hikaru and Kaoru while Tamaki chatted away at a disinterested Kyoya.

"We're here because we saw you leave with Kyoya-senpai," Hikaru said.

"And we were bored so we followed you and called Tamaki and told him you two were on a date," Kaoru grinned.

"He was jealous that mom went out without him and rushed down here in no time," the two finished together.

Kimiko sighed and glanced at Kyoya, he seemed to be rather irritated and she couldn't blame him. What had started out as a nice quiet dinner was now a circus act.

"Oh, was that a butterfly," Kimiko said, acting surprised as she looked into the air above the table.

"A butterfly, inside, yeah right," the twins replied.

"No look right there, do you see it, Tamaki-senpai?"

Tamaki perked up and began looking around excitedly. "I think I did."

"You know... Oh never mind, it's nothing," Kimiko said and sipped at a glass of water like she was embarrassed.

Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances while Kyoya watched the scene with slight interest.

"Kimi-chan, do you... like butterflies," Tamaki asked slowly.

"When I was little my dad and I used to go out into the meadow surrounding our home and we'd catch butterflies. We'd keep them in little glass containers by my bed, papa said they would bring me good dreams. Then every morning we would release them and-"

"I'll get the butterfly for you, Kimi-hime! Just please smile!" Tamaki declared.

"No way are you getting that butterfly before us," the twins argued.

Now that the three boys were arguing over who was going to get the butterfly for Kimiko and not paying her an ounce of attention, Kimiko slid under the table and popped out the other side. Grabbing Kyoya's hand she pulled him up for the booth and took off, dragging him behind her. She stopped quickly at the hostess stand to sadly inform the hostess that she needed to leave, but that her friends had offered to take care of the bill for them.

"So how long do you think it'll take before they realize that there's no butterfly and we're gone," Kimiko asked outside of the restaurant.

"I'd say you bought us five minutes," Kyoya replied.

"Kimiko-hime!"

"Or maybe less," Kyoya said sourly after the shout rang through the air.

"Then lets get going, ne?" Kimiko asked with a wink.

"I'm sorry your friends had to leave, but here's the check, I'll take it whenever you're ready," the young man who had been serving Kyoya and Kimiko said, setting the bill down on the table in front of the three young boys who had just understood what had happened.

All three boys had a cloud of gloom and realization over them as they stared at the check, all of them imagining a cackling Kyoya and a witch like Kimiko snickering at them while running away.

"We've been had," Tamaki mumbled morosely.

"Don't worry, Tono," Hikaru spoke up, narrowing his eyes defiantly.

"Yeah, don't worry," Kaoru repeated.

"We'll find them and make them suffer," the two twins declared together, smiling a smile that made even Tamaki frightened.

He didn't have time to worry about that though as he was tugged from the restaurant after being forced to pay the bill.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Kimiko sighed agitatedly. "Do they ever give up?"

"No," Kyoya answered blandly.

The two were hiding in a small niche between two clothing stores that Kimiko had pulled Kyoya into. It seemed that despite her best efforts to lose the three annoying boys who had ruined their dinner there was no way she could shake them and Kyoya wasn't really helping. He looked bored and entirely disinterested in the whole situation.

"Then what do we? I'm hungry," Kimiko complained.

Flipping his cell phone open and pushing a button, Kyoya brought the sleek phone to his ear. "Yes, it's me. We have a bit of a problem..."

Five minutes later Kimiko found herself blinking in utter confusion at three bound boys who had been tossed into the back of a limo. "Uh, isn't this going overboard, Kyoya?"

"Of course not," the young man replied surely. "Now, take them away."

"Wait, Kyoya! You wouldn't really abandon me would you?" Tamaki cried, tears forming in his eyes. "I was just lonely and wanted to spend time with my lovely daughter and you mother!"

"Bye, Tamaki," Kyoya sighed, slamming the door to the limo and watching it pull away.

"Well, that was interesting..."

"Now that those three pests are gone, would you like to actually get something to eat? Since that took more time than necessary why don't we just get some sushi, that won't take too long." Kyoya didn't really wait for her to reply, he just turned around and began to walk off.

It took her a minute to process that she was being left behind and with a small jolt she ran after Kyoya and slid her arm through his, which earned her a raised eyebrow and a strange look from Kyoya. "What?" She asked. "I don't really know my way around here and I get this feeling that if I lose sight of you you'll disappear and somehow I don't think you'd bother trying to find me. It would be too troublesome."

"You're right, now come along," he replied blandly.

* * *

"By the way Kyoya, what was the deal you wanted to work out?" Kimiko asked curiously, the two were in the back of Kyoya's car since it was hers that had taken Tamaki and the twins to their own homes.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot. The catch is that I want you to limit the number of days that you see guests, preferably to only one or two days a week. That will give you more time to help out with the club as well as to begin assisting me more in managing it. There is one last thing though," he said thoughtfully, smiling at Kimiko.

"And that would be?"

"The last dance at the party will be reserved for me."

Kimiko's eyes widened and she couldn't help but to blink several times. "Why?"

"Hm? Well lets just say I'd like to get to know you better and the last dance of the night is the most important, isn't it?"

"Usually because it's the most romantic," Kimiko pointed out.

"Is that a problem," he inquired.

"Uh...N-no, of course not," Kimiko stuttered out, she was pretty sure she was blushing and she silently cursed herself and Kyoya for being able to switch to charming mode so easily.

"Good. Oh and before I forget, I've added half the cost of another new tea set to your bill. After all it wasn't entirely your fault you dropped the last one."

Kimiko sighed and shook her head. "You really are something else, Kyoya. Just when I start to think you might not be that bad, you completely change my mind and remind me that you are the devil."

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11 Realizations

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 11**

**Realizations**

"Are you two almost done yet?" Kimiko asked, trying her best not to sound impatient. She was sitting in a rather uncomfortable, stiff backed chair in a small room in the central campus building that the dance was to be held in while Hikaru and Kaoru fussed over her hair and makeup. All she knew so far was that her hair had been left down, mostly at least, and was curled so that it was falling in soft waves over her shoulders.

"Almost," the two boys chirped enthusiastically, causing Kimiko to sigh resignedly.

Staying as still as she could, she resigned herself to being the twins' temporary doll and source of amusement. Waiting patiently for the two to finish with their playtime, she let her eyes glance around the room in search of the dress she would be wearing that evening. There was no dress hanging anywhere in her line of sight however and she silently prayed that the twins and their mom had listened to her when she said she didn't want anything that would expose her back.

"Done," the red headed twins chorused, skipping back to admire their handiwork while grinning like the evil cats that Kimiko believed them to be.

"Do the two of you always have to speak together," she asked with mild disinterest, grimacing when she stood from the chair she had been confined to for nearly an hour and attempted to stretch her sore muscles.

"Of course," Hikaru and Kaoru sang in unison.

Rolling her green eyes, Kimiko shook her head and decided to ask the question she had been wanting to ask since she had been dragged into the room so that the twins could do her hair and makeup. "Can I see the dress now?"

Exchanging brief glances that made Kimiko's brow tweak up slightly, the twins nodded and pulled the curtains set up to give anyone changing more privacy aside. Dramatically bowing and indicating that she was to enter the space beyond the parted curtains the two smiled up at her deviously.

Knowing better than to say anything about their antics, Kimiko decided it would be better to play along. Faking a curtsy and a smile, she stepped into the changing area, the curtains fluttering closed behind her. It didn't take long for her eyes to land on the dress that she was expected to wear that evening. It took her less than a second after that to spin around and pull the curtains open again so that she could glare at the innocently grinning twins.

"Before you say anything," Kaoru spoke up, pulling his hands from behind his back to reveal a small white gift bag that he held out to Kimiko. "This is for you."

Kimiko frowned, but relented and took the bag from Kaoru's outstretched hand.

"I know you said that you wanted a dress that wouldn't expose any of your back, but we really like the design for you," Kaoru began to say.

"It may be strapless, but in our defense it's not that easy to design a formal dress for a girl that covers her entire back," Hikaru continued.

"That's why I got that for you," Kaoru finished proudly.

"We," Hikaru corrected. "We got that for her."

"Sure, whatever," Kaoru replied dismissively, earning a glare from his twin when he only continued to stare at Kimiko with a smile.

Moving aside a few layers of tissue paper, Kimiko removed a small bundle of royal purple fabric from the bag. Letting the fabric unfold it was revealed that it was a cropped, shrug like cardigan with short sleeves that would cover the portion of her back that would otherwise be visible. It was made of incredibly soft cashmere and was made so that it would in no way detract from the dress that was waiting for her.

Frowning, Kimiko was tempted to just forget about the party and go home. She was extremely self conscious about her back and was always sure that there was no way for anyone to possibly get a good look at it. Usually by wearing several layers of clothing. It made her a bit nervous that the shrug would only overlap the dress by about an inch or two, meaning if she weren't careful of how she moved she ran the risk of exposing more of her back than she wanted anyone to see.

The twins shifted uncertainly, not quite sure what to make of the look on Kimiko's face. She seemed torn and though she didn't seem all that happy about attending the party to begin with, she now seemed almost withdrawn.

"Hey, uh..Are you alright," Hikaru asked.

"It's just..I'm very sensitive about my back and it makes me a bit nervous that there really isn't much between me and everyone else," she replied.

"Who cares about your back," Kaoru spoke up boredly. His statement earned him a look of surprise from Kimiko and confusion from Hikaru. "It's just your back, whatever is wrong with it doesn't make you any different as a person, right?"

"He's right," Hikaru agreed after a brief pause to think over the unusual words his brother had spoken. "We like you for you and because you make an excellent pet. I mean friend."

Kimiko couldn't help but to roll her eyes and chuckle at the two boys when they leaned against her shoulders and gave her their signature puppy dog eyed look. Pushing them away, she shook her head and stepped back behind the curtain. "Fine. You win."

"Yay!" They cheered happily, clapping hands energetically.

"Now hurry up and get dressed," Hikaru instructed.

"Your shoes are in the box on the floor," Kaoru added.

Carefully removing the dress from its hanger, Kimiko looked it over since she hadn't gotten a good look at it yet. The dress was essentially a white empire waisted cocktail dress that hugged her chest and that fell to a spot about two inches above her knees. There were several layers of tulle over the basic dress. A pale blue, a soft pink and a purple layer over the top. Depending on the light the dress appeared to be a different color or just a softer shade of purple than the shrug Kaoru had given her. Beneath the chest of the dress the fitted bodice was embellished with pale purple, blue, pink and clear sequins. From there the tulle continued to flow down to her knees. It really was a very beautiful dress.

"It really is a very nice dress," Kimiko observed while slipping her feet into the heels that matched the shrug. "It has depth and the colors are very feminine and pretty."

"Thank you," the twins sang proudly.

"Isn't it a bit bright for a Christmas party though?"

"No. Kyoya wanted you to stand out since you're a host," Hikaru informed her.

"He was also pretty specific about the color of the dress," Kaoru added.

"Why," she asked, confused.

"Dunno," both Hikaru and Kaoru replied disinterestedly.

"Ok," she mumbled to herself while positioning herself in front of the full length mirror in the little space to see how she looked. She was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the amount of time she had spent sitting in the uncomfortable chair her makeup was fairly simple. Her cheeks glowed a pale pink and her eyes shined thanks to the silvery white eyeshadow that had been swept over her eyelids and the purple eyeliner that added a little bit of color and a refined funk to the look. Her hair had been curled which she had known and several pieces had been pulled back and clipped at the back of her head to leave her face more open. "Not a bad job guys."

"We know," Kaoru replied.

"Now let us see," Hikaru demanded.

When Kimiko pushed the curtain aside and stepped out of the changing room to stand in front of Hikaru and Kaoru, she couldn't help but to laugh at the two when they openly gawked at her for a moment.

"We do good work," Kaoru stated with a sure nod.

"Yes, we do," Hikaru agreed.

A knock on the door halted any further conversation and when it opened slowly, Haruhi poked her brown haired head inside to see what was going on.

"You look very nice, Kimiko-chan," she said politely, offering a kind smile as she stepped into the room.

"Thank you, Haruhi-kun," Kimiko replied, her lips tilting up at the use of a male honorific for the girl who was wearing the male student uniform instead of a formal suit. "Don't you have a suit?"

"No," she replied, seemingly uncaring.

"Don't worry."

"We have one."

"Should have figured," Kimiko muttered when the twins happily presented the uncaring Haruhi with a three piece suit and shoved her behind the changing curtain. "Since it seems like my turn has ended, I'm going to go and get a cup of coffee and wait outside, besides I should see if Kyoya needs any help with anything."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay," Hikaru purred, leaning over her right shoulder and batting his eyelashes at her.

"You could always help us change," Kaoru suggested, leaning over her left with a smile that was meant to be innocent, but failed to be anything other than devilish.

"I'm sure the two of you can manage to change all by yourselves," she replied curtly.

"You're no fun," they pouted, stepping away from her.

"Keep pouting like that and your face will stick in that position forever," she teased Kaoru, poking him in the cheek playfully. She was about to turn away and leave the room, but as if struck by a thought, she turned back around and quickly gave Kaoru a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for the cardigan." With a quick smile, she turned and gracefully walked from the room leaving Kaoru blushing a bright red while Hikaru gave him a look of slight disapproval.

"Kimi-chan!"

She heard the pitter patter of feet on the marble flooring and immediately braced for the impact she knew was coming and hoped that she didn't break a leg in the heels or mess up her dress. Squealing quietly when Hunny barreled into her, Kimiko managed to stay standing, but she was knocked off balance and was tottering a bit in her heels, trying to regain her balance. When strong hands were put on her shoulders to steady her, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Mori-senpai," she said, turning to smile at the senior knowing full well that it was him that had saved her.

"You look so pretty, Kimi-chan! Like an angel, right, Takashi," Hunny chirped brightly.

Mori grunted in reply and gave a brief nod, his eyes fixed on Kimiko. Kimiko tried not to look embarrassed, but figured she failed when Hunny looked between Mori and herself before giggling childishly. It was odd, she would occasionally catch the senior watching her, but it didn't seem like it was out of attraction, but for some other reason that she couldn't name. That didn't change the fact that Kimiko was embarrassed by his gaze, she wasn't used to being watched or studied in such a straight forward way. It made her curious as to just what the taller boy was thinking whenever he gave her that strange look.

"Thank you, you two look pretty handsome yourselves," Kimiko replied quickly.

"The guests are going to start arriving soon, Kyo-chan wanted us to come and get everyone," Hunny informed her.

"I was just on my way to find him. Everyone else should be done in a few minutes."

"Ok, we'll meet you by the stairs, Kimi-chan!"

"Alright, Hunny-senpai," Kimiko chuckled, waving to the overly excited senior and making her way down the hall.

Since she was on the second floor, she stopped when she reached the banister and looked over the edge to see if she could see Kyoya or even Tamaki. Neither boy could be seen, but she did get a good look at the exquisite buffet tables that were set up as well as the small area for the band. There was also a few other tables set up for the variety of games that would be played through out the night. Stepping away from the banister, she approached the grand staircase that dominated this part of the hall. She stood at the top of the steps, looking around to try and find Kyoya, but to no avail. It was as she was turning away that she heard a familiar voice.

"Kimiko."

She jolted, the sudden call was rather loud in the quiet space. "Kyoya. I was looking for you." The black haired boy was making his way up the steps and towards her. If she had been paying attention she would have noticed that the gray eyes that were studying her were doing so appreciatively and were having a difficult time looking away. She also would have noticed that the colors he was wearing were similar to the colors of her dress. He wore a very nice black suit, the jacket of which was a bit longer than most, a blue vest and a purple tie that matched the purple of her shrug exactly.

"I must say I'm honored," he replied slyly.

"Right," she drawled blandly, folding her arms over her chest. "Anyway, did you need help with anything?"

"Thank you for the offer, but everything is already taken care of."

"Kimi-hime! My beautiful daughter, give daddy a hug!"

Kimiko groaned and rolled her eyes when she heard Tamaki's voice calling out for her. When she heard what sounded like running, she tried to ignore the temptation to move to the side and stick her foot out so that Tamaki would fall on his face. To her surprise, the bone crushing bear hug she was expecting never came. Blinking, she turned her head to see that Kyoya had stepped in between her and a pouting Tamaki, a stern look on his face while he adjusted his glasses.

"Must I remind you that tonight is a very important night, Tamaki? Instead of accosting Kimiko perhaps you should make sure that the twins aren't unnecessarily harassing Haruhi and tell them to-"

Kyoya never finished his sentence. Tamaki had looked horrified at the idea of the twins harassing Haruhi and had muttered something about 'daughter in trouble' before sprinting away.

"What," Kyoya asked bluntly when he saw the look Kimiko was giving him.

"You're a difficult person to understand."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean you rarely go out of your way for anyone else, so why would you keep Tamaki from crushing me to death? Whether he does it or not it makes no difference to you, right?"

Kyoya shrugged a shoulder. "I suppose not, but it would be terribly inconvenient if you had fallen down the stairs. The Christmas party would have to be canceled and all the planning would go to waste."

"And I wouldn't be able to pay my debt back, right? So in the end you really were only looking out for yourself," Kimiko replied.

"You sound almost disappointed," Kyoya observed. "Would you have rather I told you that I stopped Tamaki from touching you because I don't want anyone else's hands you? That I would have been slightly jealous?"

"Stick with the original answer, it's not a lie," Kimiko answered blandly, turning away from Kyoya to look out over the hall.

"Who said either of them were a lie?" Kyoya asked quietly.

Kimiko's eyes widened and she took a sharp intake of breath. Regaining herself, she shook her head and clenched her fists at her sides. "I don't appreciate being toyed with, Kyoya."

"I apologize, it wasn't my intention to upset you," he stated smoothly, bowing to show he was being truthful and taking her hand to kiss the top of it.

Pulling her hand from his grasp, Kimiko eyed him with a look that bordered on being cold and angry. "Didn't I just say not to toy with me? Save your cool, charming act for the guests, you're wasting it on me."

"Oh, yes, I had almost forgotten," Kyoya mused, stepping away from Kimiko and taking a more business like tone.

"What," she questioned irritably.

"You won't be attending the party as a Host tonight."

"Excuse me?" She spun around to fully face him, her brows drawn together and a soft frown on her face. "What do you mean I won't be attending as a Host? Wasn't that part of the deal we had made?"

Adjusting his glasses before deigning to reply, Kyoya made her wait a moment for his answer. "Originally, yes. The deal was changed when I said I would reduce your debt by fifteen percent because you were able to get ten requests as a Host."

"Yes, but you said that you would count yourself and the other Hosts as part of my quota tonight."

"No, actually I didn't. I just said that they would request to dance with you. If you don't remember I said that you would have to dance the last dance with me and limit your time with guests in order for the deal to be made."

"If I'm not a Host tonight then what the hell am I doing here," she snapped annoyed by the fact that she was dragged to an event that she didn't have to attend and that she hadn't wanted to attend in the first place. She had better things to do with her time than stand around and watch girls fawn over the Host Club.

"You're my assistant, aren't you? I may just need your assistance during the course of the evening," he informed her coolly.

Her eye twitched and she growled under her breath, trying to quell the urge to strangle the gray eyed boy that was looking at her in amusement. "With what? Wiping the drool from the chins of the girls you'll be dancing with?"

Kyoya chuckled. "I doubt that will be necessary, but thanks for the offer. I'll actually be needing your help with a few other things I have planned this evening."

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

"Does this mean that I'm stuck by your side all night," Kimiko inquired.

"Is that a problem? Is there someone else you'd like to spend your time with?"

Kimiko twitched again. "Anyone but you."

Smirking at her rude answer, Kyoya said, "But we had another deal, didn't we? That we would get to know each other better."

"I thought the deal was that we would use each other to benefit ourselves."

"Wouldn't that be easier to do if we became friends? I'm not the horrible person you seem to think I am, Kimiko, why not give me a chance to prove myself?"

Studying him thoughtfully, Kimiko slowly nodded. She was being stubborn and she knew that, but she had a feeling that there was more behind Kyoya's reason for wanting to get to know her as he had put it, than becoming friends to better benefit from one another.

Neither one had time to further discuss anything when the others joined them at the top of the steps. Tamaki was fussing over Haruhi who was trying her hardest to ignore the boy while they walked. It was only minutes after the group had gathered that the girls started filtering inside all dressed finely and talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Welcome my dears to the Host Club Christmas party," Tamaki stepped forward to announce elegantly to the growing crowd of girls. "We hope that you enjoy yourselves."

"There have been a number of games set up around the room and every time one of you lovely ladies wins a game you will get one point. Those with the highest points will get a dance with one of the Host Club members at the end of the night," Kyoya informed the girls.

"And the top point getter will get," Hikaru began.

"A kiss from the king! Tamaki," Hikaru and Kaoru chorused while dramatically pointing towards the blond.

The girls swooned happily one or two nearly fainting at the news and Kimiko could only stand beside Kyoya and wish she could punch him for making her deal with such easily swayed little girls.

"Cheer up, Kimiko," Kyoya suggested, looking over at her and smiling. "At least try to enjoy yourself tonight. The Host Club is all about making our guests happy and since you are a guest I'll make it my duty to try and make you smile."

Figuring he was playing the part of the Host and not Kyoya, Kimiko was going to retort with something rude, but when she looked over at the dark haired boy, she couldn't say anything. Heat rose up to her cheeks and she turned away quickly without saying a single thing. He hadn't been giving her his fake smile, he had been genuinely smiling at her and she found it hard to believe that she could constantly forget the power of that smile whenever they were so close.

"Shall we," Kyoya asked, offering her his hand from where he had stopped a few steps down the stairs everyone was beginning to descend.

It was then that she finally realized the suit he wore and the colors of his vest and tie, not to mention how well they suited him. 'Had he been specific about the colors because he wanted us to match? But why? Because I was going to be stuck at his side all night as his assistant or...' She shook her off her thoughts and put her hand in his to allow him to lead her down the steps. "Thank you," she murmured when they reached the bottom.

"My pleasure."

"Kimiko!"

Humming curiously, the brown haired girl swung her head around to see that a grinning Katashi was making his way towards her. "Katashi," she greeted happily. "You came."

"Of course. I wasn't going to ignore the chance to get to dance with you. Especially when you look so beautiful," he replied with an embarrassed smile.

Feeling something tighten around her hand, Kimiko glanced down to see that her hand was still in Kyoya's grasp. Pulling her hand from his in her surprise, she looked up to see that his gray eyes seemed to be a bit annoyed. Just as she opened her mouth to reply music from the small orchestra began to fill the room and Katashi, who had been oblivious to what had happened, raised a hand out to Kimiko.

"Would you like to dance," he asked politely.

Suddenly rather uncertain about the situation, Kimiko glanced at Kyoya as if she was seeking his approval. "Do you mind, Kyoya?"

"Not at all, I should attend to the guests for a few minutes anyway."

"Okay. I'll see you later then," she replied still unsure of the look she had seen in Kyoya's eyes.

Katashi watched the two, a brow raising and a small knowing smirk forming on his lips. "So shall we?" He asked, breaking the gaze the two people had unwittingly found themselves locked in.

Jolting back to reality and tearing her eyes from Kyoya's, Kimiko smiled at Katashi and nodded, graciously accepting his hand and letting him lead her out on to the dance floor where several girls were already dancing with some of the Hosts. Mori, Hunny, Tamaki and the twins were all dancing while Haruhi stood awkwardly off to the side. The girl hadn't had any formal dance training and even if she had, she was posing as a boy and wouldn't have been used to leading. She had been receiving some instruction from another girl by the name of Kanako Kasugazaki who was a regular at the Club and had a tendency to switch hosts often.

Kimiko stiffened briefly when Katashi faced her and put a hand on her waist so that they could begin dancing. "Sorry, I haven't danced in awhile. It feels a little awkward," she lied.

"You'll be fine, just relax," Katashi assured her. "So..."

"So what," Kimiko asked when Katashi trailed off.

"What's going on between you and Kyoya-san? You two had a little moment there."

Surprised by the sudden and unexpected inquiry, Kimiko nearly toppled to the ground after missing the next step in the dance. "W-what are you talking about," she stuttered when she righted herself and gave Katashi a brief glare when he laughed at her reaction.

"It just seemed like there was something between the two of you. You were holding hands and all," he pointed out.

"Not on purpose," she said sulkily.

"So you don't like Kyoya-san?"

"He's arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, calculating-"

"I didn't ask you to describe him. I asked if you liked him."

"Weren't the attributes I was listing enough of a reason to think I don't."

Katashi shrugged. "I suppose, but you never actually said that you don't like him."

"Why are you so interested anyway," Kimiko asked stiffly.

"No reason."

Deciding to ignore the topic they had been speaking of, Kimiko changed the subject. "Have you finished reading the book I loaned you?"

"Yes, and you were right. I did find The Frogs to be highly amusing. Aristophanes was a great writer."

Opening her mouth to reply, Kimiko heard what sounded like strangled shouts from behind her. Turning around, she sighed and stopped dancing. "Sorry, but I need to rescue Haruhi from... I'm not sure what yet. All I know is that Tamaki just somersaulted off of the second floor and onto the landing."

"Good luck with that," Katashi chuckled.

"Thanks," she grumbled, making her way over to where the twins were currently trying to comfort Haruhi who from the looks of it didn't need any comfort, but space. "That's enough you two, leave poor Haruhi alone," she said, pushing the two away from her.

"But it's just so sad," Kaoru wailed.

Kimiko rolled her eyes when Hikaru took Kaoru in his arms and lovingly stroked his brother's hair. "What's sad?"

"It's nothing," Haruhi spoke up blandly, her shoulders drooping a bit in embarrassment. "I just made the mistake of forgetting that I'm surrounded by a bunch of rich bastards," she said, throwing a glare behind her at the twins, Tamaki, Kyoya and even Hunny and Mori. "Oh, sorry, Kimiko-chan, I-"

"It's alright, I understand completely," Kimiko cut in reassuringly. "What did they do this time?"

"Haru-chan wanted fancy tuna and she looked so pathetic that Tama-chan ordered Kyo-chan to get some," Hunny offered cheerily. "I brought tupper and roast beef so she could take it home."

"You know, just because she's not rich doesn't mean that she's living in absolute squalor and needs to be pitied by a bunch of snobs who have had everything handed to them on a silver platter," she said disapprovingly.

"It's alright, Kimiko-chan, I'm used to it," Haruhi sighed. "They'll never listen anyway."

"True," Kimiko nodded. "You haven't danced at all, Haruhi-kun, would you like to?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'd really rather not."

"I figured, but I thought I would try. Unless anyone needed something from me, I'm going to back to Katashi."

"Actually I think you might want to give Katashi-san a few minutes, he looks busy," Kyoya replied, dipping his chin to indicate something behind her.

"Well would you look at that," Kimiko mused, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head with a chuckle. "Who would have thought that he had it in him?" Since her departure, Katashi had made conversation with a few of the girls attending the party and soon after more had joined so that now he was in the center of a circle of girls who had their full attention on him while he talked and laughed.

"That means you can dance with me," Tamaki squealed, bouncing happily over to her and grinning like a kid in a candy shop.

"Sure, why not. It's better than having you make a fool of yourself by sulking in the corner if I said no."

"Woohoo!"

"Not so fast, I'm wearing heels," Kimiko snapped when Tamaki grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairs.

While they were dancing, Kimiko was glad that Tamaki wasn't being too dramatic or princely. He wasn't a bad guy when he was acting like a normal human being.

"So," he started, his tone conversational and businesslike. When Kimiko looked up at him, giving him her full attention, he continued. "I've noticed that you and Kyoya seem to be getting close. He's treating you well I hope?"

"We're just friends, not even that much at this point," Kimiko replied.

"Is that so. You know Kyoya may come across as a bit cold and arrogant, but he really is a good guy. He just tries not to let anyone know, he doesn't want to be seen as weak."

"So he acts like a pompous ass most of the time," she snorted.

Tamaki smiled brightly. "Kyoya has a lot to overcome and he works hard to do so, sometimes forgetting that he has friends he can rely on when he's feeling a bit overwhelmed."

"I can understand that, it can't be easy for him to be the third son of such a prominent family. Especially when he has so much ambition," Kimiko replied easily falling into a comfortable conversation without really noticing.

"It's good to know someone else understands. I've only known Kyoya for a few years, but he has been a good friend. I'm proud to say I know him. I think he'll be a great man some day, don't you?"

The questioned startled her and she couldn't stop the heat from blossoming on her cheeks. "Why would you ask me that? I hardly know him."

"Maybe so, but you're cute when you blush," the blue eyed blond replied with a wink, bowing to her when the dance came to an end. "Thank you for the dance, Kimiko-hime."

"You can just call me Kimiko, I prefer it since I have a habit of forgetting the honorific myself."

"Then just call me Tamaki. Or king."

"Thank you, Tamaki." She replied truthfully with a small curtsy.

"Where did everyone else disappear to," he mused after taking a look around to notice that they were the only two Hosts that were left in the room.

"Kyoya had mentioned something about plans he had for this evening, perhaps they went to set something up," Kimiko suggested.

"Ah ha! This way," Tamaki cried, taking Kimiko's hand and leading her back up the stairs.

"Well, I figured the normal would wear off eventually," she mumbled to herself.

"What are you guys doing," he demanded, throwing open the door to the dressing room. "You can't all leave at once!"

"What do you think, Boss," Hikaru asked, stepping aside to reveal Haruhi in a long wig and a simple dress.

"We did our best," Kaoru added.

Tamaki's jaw dropped and he gaped at Haruhi. "P-pretty," he muttered.

"What's going on," Kimiko asked.

"You remember Kasugazaki-san, the girl helping Haruhi learn to dance," Kyoya replied, stepping up beside her.

Kimiko nodded.

"Well she is engaged to a young man, Suzushima, he's rather boring and doesn't show much emotion. Kasugazaki and he grew up together, but she seems to think he never notices her."

"And what does that have to do with Haruhi?"

"We'll be using Haruhi to determine how Suzushima feels about his fiance."

"Is it really our business," Kimiko asked Kyoya.

"It's our jobs as Hosts to make every girl happy, isn't it," he replied with a smile.

Kimiko looked away, her heart had inexplicably sped up in her chest when he had turned to her and she found herself gazing into his eyes. Searching for whatever it was that made Tamaki so proud to be considered a friend to the handsome boy. All she could see was a strong willed boy that was well on his way to becoming a good man, just as Tamaki had said. She was beginning to think that her initial impression of him had been a bit harsh.

"Are you alright, you look flushed," Kyoya noted.

"I'm fine, but I think I'll go get a glass of water and sit down for a moment."

"I'll join you. Oh, by the way, Hikaru, Kaoru a little accident at the end of the night would be fun, don't you think?"

The twins nodded, smirking like devils in reply.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	12. Chapter 12 Confrontations

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 12**

**Confrontations**

There was silence between she and Kyoya, a comfortable one, which was almost enough to make Kimiko uncomfortable since she was so used to feeling rather annoyed with the dark haired boy. They walked side by side, her arm draped over his while he led her back to the party and towards a small bar setup so she could get some water.

It was a bit of an odd experience for Kimiko. Kyoya was usually very businesslike when it came to club activities and he balanced his time between his guests and his work managing the club well. Tonight was different though. He was politely declining and dismissing every girl that came up to ask him to dance or speak with him. Kimiko was quickly growing embarrassed and a bit nervous of all of the attention that his unexpected actions were putting on her.

"You know, Kyoya, I think we're giving the others the wrong idea..." Kimiko began somewhat uncertainly, knowing he would catch her meaning and hoping that he would possibly explain his actions.

His answer was brief, blunt and did nothing to explain his intentions. "Is that a problem?"

She couldn't help it, her green eyes widened and she looked up at Kyoya in surprise and confusion. Blinking to clear her thoughts, she shook her head for lack of anything else to do. It would take her a few moments to gather herself together enough to finally speak. When she did so they had ventured outside onto the terrace that stood about a story up and gave them an excellent view of the school grounds and the decorations that had been put up in honor of the coming holidays.

"I must say, Kyoya, you're a very confusing person."

A slight smirk tugged at his lips as she removed her arm from his to switch the glass of water she had picked up from one hand to the other.

"You've voiced similar opinions in the past. Mind if I ask what it is that you find so confusing about me? Perhaps I can clear up some of your confusion," Kyoya replied, voice smooth as ice, but lighter and less practiced than she was used to hearing from him.

After taking a sip of her water and setting the glass carefully on the stone of the banister that lined the terrace, Kimiko looked down at her hands that held the glass and sighed. "Is this still a part of our little question and answer game?"

Folding his arms over his chest, he leaned into the wall, his eyes never leaving hers. He offered a small smile and shook his head. "No. That game is only beneficial to me really since I get to ask the majority of the questions. It doesn't really allow you to get to know me, which sort of makes it difficult for the both of us to get to know each other. Don't you think?"

She tilted a brow at him and leaned into the railing, holding her water in front of her. "I do think it makes the playing ground a bit uneven. So what do you suggest we do about that?"

"Well, I suppose we could come up with a different way to get to know each other."

"Judging by the smug look on your face I'm going to venture out on a limb here and say you already have an idea, don't you," Kimiko asked, her lip quirking upwards. She didn't know why, but she was finding their exchange to be amusing.

"There's a new art gallery opening tomorrow night. Our family was invited, but neither my father or brothers are too keen on art so I'm stuck going in their stead. Would you like to join me for a fairly boring evening mingling with some of Japan's elite?"

Eyebrow raising again, Kimiko thought over her answer. The opening of an art gallery didn't sound particularly fun, then again sitting around at her big house all by herself was even less appealing. With a shrug, she answered, "Sure, why not. I don't have anything else to do tomorrow."

"I'll be picking you up at five. We have dinner reservations at six and the gallery opens at seven. We'll be fashionably late," Kyoya replied.

"Sounds to me like you were certain I'd say yes." Kimiko raised her water glass to her lips and took a delicate sip of the cool liquid while eying Kyoya curiously.

With an arrogant chuckle, Kyoya adjusted his glasses and stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against, glancing quickly at his watch. "I'm not in the habit of taking no for an answer."

Kimiko snorted and tossed her head to the side. "Conceited bastard," she mumbled.

"Back to what we were talking about though, what is it that confuses you about me?" He inquired, walking over to her side so that he could look out over the school grounds.

Turning around so that she was no longer facing the building, but also staring out over the almost absurdly pristine and elegant school grounds, Kimiko sighed and rested her elbows on the cool stone banister. "There's a lot. For starters, is it just me or do you have multiple personalities?"

The laugh that escaped Kyoya startled Kimiko it was so genuine and she found herself looking over at the Ootori only to look away and curse her cheeks which had once again grown warm. 'Stop acting like some love sick little girl, Kimiko, really,' she scolded herself. 'This is Kyoya Ootori, you hate him...Wait, why do I hate him, again?' Rolling her eyes at her childish thoughts, Kimiko plopped her chin into the palm of one of her hands and took to studying the building across from the one they were in now. She believed that it was the grade school, but wasn't entirely sure.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't have multiple personalities," Kyoya spoke up.

"Really? Then why is it that one minute you're being a complete ass and all I want to do is punch you and the next you're being a perfect gentleman and I can't help but to blush when you smile at me? You can go from fake to real and it confuses me, I don't like that. I find it annoying," Kimiko said blandly, ignoring the fact that Kyoya was studying her with interest.

There was a brief silence before Kyoya answered. "You do the same thing. You put on a mask everyday and act like nothing ever gets to you, until recently you rarely took that mask off. You have things that you don't want people to know and you don't want people to see you as weak so you hide behind that mask and hope no one notices just how fragile you really are."

"Maybe so, but why do you wear a mask then? You're not weak like me after all... And why does it seem to only come off around me?" Glancing at Kyoya, Kimiko say the way his mouth twitched slightly into a frown. The frown disappeared quickly when he turned his head to the right and the moonlight glinted off of his glasses, momentarily blocking his face from view.

"It's almost time," Kyoya said, glancing at his watch and straightening up.

She was going to question him on his refusal to answer her question and about why he suddenly reverted back to the Shadow King. Her chance to ask him anything was lost when the sound of someone running below caught her attention and the lights that had been set up to illuminate the tree in front of the hall they had rented for the dance came on. Not only did the bright lights shine down upon the decorated tree, but onto a startled girl and boy.

"Merry Christmas! Best wishes to the clumsy couple!" A chorus of voices she recognized as Hikaru's and Kaoru's chorused.

"Isn't that that Kasugazaki girl," Kimiko inquired, standing up straight herself now that people were beginning to pour from the building to see what was going on.

Beside her, Kyoya nodded and adjusted his glasses. "Yes, the boy would be Suzushima, her fiance."

"I see," she replied, looking down at the embarrassed couple that was chuckling to themselves while the other guests of the party crowded around them. "They look happy."

"They do," Kyoya agreed, glancing at Kimiko who he had felt shiver in response to a cool wind that blew through the school. "It's a bit cold, would you like to go back inside?"

"Yeah, I would, thank you," she answered, turning away from the girls that were still gossiping and twittering excitedly over the announcement of the engagement between the young couple that were standing next to one another in front of the brightly lit Christmas tree. Her eyes widened and she stiffened when Kyoya put a hand on her lower back in an almost protective manner to lead her back inside.

"Something wrong," the observant boy asked.

Kimiko shook her head. "It's nothing. Sorry."

"Would you like to dance," Kyoya offered when the band began to play another song while the party guests made their way back in from the cold.

She was never given time to answer or even point out that there were no other people dancing when Kyoya stepped in front of her and put a hand on her waist and lightly took hold of one of her hands. With little time to prepare, Kimiko stumbled over the first dance step before regaining her composure and letting herself be led through the steps of the dance by Kyoya.

"What do you think of Kimi-chan, Takashi," Hunny asked his much taller cousin whose shoulders he was sitting on while they watched the lone couple dance.

Mori was silent for a moment before quietly replying in his deep voice, "She's lonely."

Bobbing his head in agreement, Hunny sighed. "Yeah. She looks so lost sometimes. Broken."

Grunting to show he agreed, Mori continued to watch Kimiko and Kyoya dance.

"Kyo-chan seems to like her," Hunny observed.

The tall boy frowned, but nodded.

"He wouldn't hurt her, right?" After receiving no reply, Hunny smiled again. "You're very protective of Kimi-chan, you like her, don't you, Takashi?"

A jittery and nervous girl with light brown hair embarrassedly approached Mori, blushing profusely when she looked up at him. "W-Would you like to d-dance, Mori-senpai?" She asked quietly.

Clambering down from the shoulders of his cousin, Hunny grinned at the girl and Mori. "You two should dance, I want some more cake. Have fun!"

* * *

"Haruhi-kun, what happened to your leg," Kimiko asked in concern, approaching the short haired girl after the ending of her dance with Kyoya.

"Oh, this," the girl replied blandly, wiggling her bandaged left leg. "I tripped and twisted my ankle in the shoes that the twins made me wear."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for asking, Kimiko-chan. It's kind of a blessing really. Now I don't have to dance."

"That's true," Kimiko chuckled. Walking over to where her classmate and fellow Host was sitting, she tugged another chair closer and sunk into it with a sigh. "Hope you don't mind if I keep you company. I don't particularly feel like dancing right now."

Glancing over to the auburn haired girl, Haruhi followed the gaze of her green eyes and noticed that she was staring at Kyoya as he danced with another girl. She seemed to be lost in thought while she watched and it made Haruhi curious so she couldn't help but to ask, "Do you like Kyoya-senpai, Kimiko-chan?"

Starting and turning her head to stare wide eyed at Haruhi, Kimiko sat silently until she had processed what had been asked and let her face melt back into a blank mask. "What would give you that idea, Haruhi-kun?"

"Well, you were staring at him with a weird look on your face. I thought that perhaps you liked him. Though I can't say I see what would make anyone like him," Haruhi stated bluntly.

Sighing, Kimiko let her eyes wander their way back to Kyoya. He was smiling a charmingly fake smile while dancing and talking with a black haired girl that was grinning widely. "To be honest, I don't know how I feel about Kyoya. I was convinced that I couldn't stand him and wanted nothing to do with him, but for some reason lately I'm beginning to think that I judged him much too harshly. He's a manipulative ass, don't get me wrong and it's hard to tell if anything that he has done for me has been for his own ends or if he's really just a good hearted guy." Kimiko sighed. "I don't know what to think, Haruhi-kun."

"That's understandable since Kyoya-senpai does have a tendency to only do things that benefit either himself or the Club. He's usually more concerned with results and profits than with what it takes to get those results."

"The last dance is about to start," Kimiko spoke up after several moments of a comfortable silence between she and Haruhi. "I should go find Kyoya before he decides to raise my debt. Do you need anything, Haruhi-kun?"

"No, thank you."

Rising from the chair, she looked around the room for Kyoya to see him talking to a group of girls on the other side of the hall. Making her way through the crowd, Kimiko approached Kyoya and the group. His back was facing her and with no real idea on how else to get his attention away from the girls that were now begging and pleading for his hand in the last dance, Kimiko stepped past a few girls and hooked her arm through his and propped her chin on his shoulder.

Surprised by the sudden contact, Kyoya glanced over at Kimiko who tilted her head and smiled at him before turning her attention to the group of girls that were now gaping at her.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'll be stealing Kyoya for the last dance," she said silkily, smiling pleasantly while the girls all glanced at each other in confusion at her boldness.

"Excuse me," Kyoya said to the group, bowing slightly and turning towards Kimiko. "Shall we," he asked, offering her his arm.

Nodding, Kimiko took his arm and let him lead her back onto the dance floor for the second time that evening. She didn't say anything as the last waltz began and she kept her eyes staring over Kyoya's shoulder at nothing in particular.

"That was quite the show coming from someone who was worried about giving the wrong impression earlier," Kyoya stated.

"I don't really care what people think, I just don't like being the center of attention. Usually, anyways. Depends on the situation, don't you think?" She asked with a wry smile.

"I think we have a lot more in common than either one of us realized."

At first the comment startled Kimiko who thought of vehemently protesting, but after a few seconds of thought, she chucked and nodded. "Maybe. We are both easily annoyed for starters."

"That's true. We share the same blood type."

"We're both very proud and at times arrogant people who don't like dealing with unnecessary drama."

"Is any of it necessary," Kyoya asked.

Kimiko snorted in amusement and smirked in reply. "Considering the people we spend much of our time surrounded by, of course not. It's just that they have nothing better to do than cause trouble in some form or another."

"They have better things to do, they just prefer not to do them."

"And what about you," she asked, locking eyes with him again. "Don't you have anything better to do then confuse me all the time?"

"No," he replied, smiling at her.

Rolling her green eyes, Kimiko continued through the rest of the dance in silence, rarely meeting Kyoya's eyes and trying her best to ignore the fact that they had somehow managed to get quite a bit closer to one another during their conversation. She could feel his breath splashing across her cheek, feel the warmth of his body that was almost touching hers and smell the light scent of the cologne he always wore. When the dance ended, she automatically stopped and stepped away from her dance partner to give a slight bow of thanks.

What she hadn't expected was for Hunny to be sprinting across the dance floor to rescue Usa-chan who had somehow been kidnapped by the twins. Squealing in shock, Kimiko was propelled forward by a strong push from Hunny. She heard all the gasps and cries as she stumbled and collided with someone, who, she wasn't sure for she had closed her eyes. All she knew was that strong arms wrapped around her body as she fell and a firm body cushioned her fall to the floor before her lips met the lips of the person who had attempted to help her.

Her eyes widened and she abruptly pulled away and brought the slender fingers of her right hand to her lips as she stared down at Kyoya who was looking at her with a look almost as shocked as her own. She tried to speak, but could only manage to stutter out a few incomprehensible words before she went silent and found herself lost in the smoky eyes of the Ootori.

A deep cough broke through Kimiko's thoughts and she looked up to see Mori standing over the two of them, holding a hand out to her with an indifferent look on his face. Even though his face was as blank as usual, Kimiko thought she could see something spark in his eyes, something along the lines of disapproval and that was when she fully realized the position that she and Kyoya were in.

Gasping in realization, Kimiko reached swiftly for Mori's hand and practically jumped into his arms in a desperate attempt to get away from Kyoya. "S-sorry," she stuttered to Kyoya in the process.

"It's quite alright," Kyoya replied politely, standing up and brushing his tuxedo of the dust that had tarnished it. "It was an accident, nothing to worry about."

The room was still in a stunned silence and many of the girls were gaping at Kimiko, who was now trying her best to hide behind Mori's much taller frame, or Kyoya who was looking as regal and indifferent as usual.

"Isn't it time to announce the winner of tonight's festivities," Kyoya spoke up, searching around until he spotted the twins.

Jumping into action and out of their own stupors, the two red headed boys grinned and slung their arms over one another.

The girls were so excited to learn who would be getting a kiss from Tamaki that they all shifted their attention to the smirking twins and momentarily forgot about the scene that they had just witnessed.

Sighing, Kimiko loosened her hold on Mori's arm that she had unwittingly clutched onto when he had helped her stand up from her rather embarrassing position on the floor and more importantly on top of Kyoya. "Thank you, Mori-senpai for helping me up," she offered much more timidly than she had intended.

"It was no problem," he replied. "Mitsukuni should be more careful." The tall boy let his eyes roam downwards until they met with his much smaller cousin's.

"I-I'm sorry, Kimi-chan," Hunny wailed, throwing himself at the still weak from shock Kimiko and once again knocking her off balance.

Thankfully, she was still standing beside Mori who simply put an arm behind her back and righted her again.

She sighed in relief and patted the top of Hunny's head. "It's alright Hunny-senpai. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or anything. It was just an accident."

"But it happens all the time," he cried.

"Well, you do have a habit of trying to knock me over," Kimiko agreed, regretting her words when Hunny clutched tighter to her and started sniffling harder.

"I'm sorry, Kimi-chan!"

"It's really alright, Hunny-senpai," Kimiko said and not knowing what else to do, she glanced up at Mori for help in dealing with the older boy that was clinging to her waist.

"Mitsukuni, there's only one piece of cake-"

Kimiko blinked. Mori didn't even finish speaking before Hunny had released her and zoomed off towards the banquet tables. "Um...Thank you," she drawled, not knowing what else to say.

It looked as if Mori was going to say something more, but he never had the chance when Kyoya stepped up to them, his eyes on Kimiko.

"Are you alright? You took quite a fall," he said.

"..I'm fine," she replied, her cheeks blossoming red again. "Sorry about falling on you and...everything."

"It's alright, I didn't mind." Kyoya smirked when Kimiko's already flushed cheeks reddened further.

"You're enjoying this," she accused stiffly, turning her head away arrogantly only to watch as Haruhi who was facing a young girl whose name slipped Kimiko's mind was pushed forward by an energetic Tamaki only to have her lips connect with the lips of the other girl. Blinking a few times at the sight, Kimiko couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled from her lips. Putting a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound, she turned her face into Kyoya's shoulder and continued to giggle.

"Yes, I am enjoying this," Kyoya stated.

Kimiko choked on her giggles and looked up at Kyoya questioningly.

"I meant the party and the accident. It was quite perfect," he explained.

"Oh," Kimiko replied, scolding herself for sounding disappointed.

"If you'll excuse me, Kimiko, I should probably go reign Tamaki in before this gets out of control."

Watching the Ootori walk away, Kimiko wasn't aware of the dark eyes that were watching jealously from the shadows.

* * *

Kimiko let out a deep breath and tilted her head up towards the sky. Her brown hair cascaded down her back in soft curls that twisted and writhed in the light winter wind that was blowing through the school grounds. A small smile graced her lips as she relished the feel of the wind washing over her and the scent of chilled earth that was being carried by it.

She had slipped out of the party hall now that things were winding down to get some fresh air that she very much needed after the events of the evening. It was nice to be alone and not surrounded by people and it was also nice to get away from Kyoya now that her emotions were in a bit of an uproar. Ever since she had fallen on him and their lips had met she had felt a strange sensation in her stomach. A cross between nausea and a more warm sensation that she couldn't explain.

Now as she walked around the building in an attempt to let the cool winter breeze dull her thoughts, she couldn't help but sigh to herself. She was no fool and even though she wished she could say that the feelings that were building up in her were nothing, she knew better.

"Of all people, Kyoya Ootori," she murmured to the night. Shaking her head, Kimiko chuckled quietly to herself. "Why did I have to fall for him?"

"You mean on him," a deep, dark voice spoke from the shadows to her left.

Halting and freezing in place, Kimiko swallowed while goosebumps rose on her arms and her heart began to beat wildly.

"You really are a whore, Aratoshi. Throwing yourself at the Ootori loser like a cat in heat."

There was rustling in the bushes that lined the building and only moving her eyes, Kimiko watched two shapes emerge from the darkness. One a person and one a large, lean dog with watchful eyes and ears perked, waiting to hear a command from his master. She tried to take a step back, but stiffened and froze again when the dog took a step towards her, barking in warning before it growled menacingly.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

Tearing her eyes from the massive dog, Kimiko looked up and tried to seem as defiant and unafraid as possible. "What do you want, Katsuro?" She clenched her teeth, knowing full well that her voice was shaking and giving away the fear that she felt.

A rumbling chuckle told her she wasn't the only one to notice the weakness in her reply. "As feisty as ever, aren't you? I always liked that about you. It made breaking you so much more fun."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed and her hands fisted at her sides. "I'll ask again. What do you want, Katsuro?" She had to buy herself time and hope that someone would notice her absence and look for her. Until then, she had to try her best to keep Katsuro and his dog away from her.

"What do I want," he repeated incredulously. "I want what belongs to me," he ground out bitterly, taking a step towards her.

Instinctively taking a step back, Kimiko winced when the dog growled at her and took another threatening step closer to her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore the rising panic that was building up in her chest.

"What's wrong, Aratoshi," Katsuro asked mockingly. "He won't hurt you unless I order him to, so I suggest you do as I say if you want to avoid ending up like your father."

Her eyes snapped open and she glared at Katsuro. "How dare you," she hissed. "You have no right to speak of my father. None!"

"A bit bitter are we?" Katsuro smirked and stalked closer to Kimiko.

Forgetting her fear, Kimiko lashed out and landed a harsh blow to Katsuro's cheek. She stared defiantly at him when he raised a hand to his stinging cheek and began to menacingly narrow his eyes and clench his jaw.

"You're going to regret that," he growled.

She snorted in disdain, barely flinching when Katsuro roughly grabbed her wrist and tugged her to him. "Not as much as you're going to regret touching me."

"We'll see." Grinning at her, he lowered his head towards hers.

Trying to twist her head away from him, Kimiko let out a small cry of pain when he retaliated by grabbing a fist full of her hair and brutally tugged it to get her to face him.

"Let go of me, bastard," Kimiko grunted, attempting to throw him away from her, but only succeeding in pushing their bodies a few more inches apart. His grasp on her hair was still strong and painful.

A bark broke Katsuro's concentration on Kimiko as he snapped his head towards the dog that had lowered itself slightly and was growling warningly at something. Following the dog's eyes, Katsuro released Kimiko, roughly pushing her backwards.

"Are you alright?"

Kimiko jolted at the voice that had spoken from directly behind her and stiffened when a hand rested on her shoulder. Her eyes jerked upwards to see that Mori was the one who had spoken to her and that he was pushing her behind him protectively. Hunny stood beside him a serious look on his usually much lighter visage.

Katsuro snapped his fingers and pointed towards Mori and Hunny. The dog instantly began to circle around the two boys, growling and snarling menacingly.

Tightening her grip on Mori's jacket that she was grasping onto, Kimiko cowered into the taller boy's back while the dog continued to circle them, getting closer and closer to her. She shivered unconsciously, but it had nothing to do with the cold, it was a reaction to being in such close proximity to a dog that wanted nothing more than to tear her apart. At least that's what she thought.

"Bad dog. Sit," Mori commanded lightly.

Kimiko was shocked when the dog actually whimpered and guiltily sat down.

"Kimiko, are you alright?"

"I..." She started again and glanced over to Kyoya who was standing to her right, she swallowed and nodded.

"Mori-senpai, Hunny-senpai I assume we can leave this to you two," Kyoya asked calmly.

Mori grunted in agreement.

"You should get Kimi-chan away from here, Kyo-chan," Hunny spoke up.

"But-" Kimiko was unable to finish her sentence as Kyoya put an arm around her shoulders with every intention of leading her away.

Turning partially towards her, Mori put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair with a soft, brief smile.

"Mori-senpai..."

"Let's go, Kimiko. This is no place for you to be right now." Tamaki stepped up beside Kimiko as well and with a quick exchange of glances with Kyoya, helped to escort Kimiko away from Katsuro and the two seniors who had been left with him.

Knowing there was little point in fighting, Kimiko let Kyoya lead her away and back inside the school building.

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13 Intentions

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

**Chapter 13**

**Intentions**

Once back inside the safety of the large hall, Kimiko let Kyoya guide her to a vacant chair while Tamaki went to get her some tea. She wasn't looking at anyone, but staring down at the ground with a worried expression.

"Kimiko, are you alright," Kyoya inquired.

She nodded, but didn't glance at Kyoya. "We shouldn't have left Mori and Hunny out there alone."

"Speaking of being alone," Tamaki said, returning with a cup of hot tea that he handed to Kimiko. "What were you doing wandering around all by yourself?"

"Thinking," she replied, staring into the steaming cup of tea in her hands. She shivered and closed her eyes suddenly realizing that she was rather chilled, whether from the coldness of the air outside or the encounter she had had, she wasn't sure. Gasping, she opened her eyes and looked up in surprise when something was put over her shoulders. When her eyes met Kyoya's as he pulled away from her after securing his coat around her shoulders all she could do was blink dumbly at him.

"You looked cold," he told her, smiling warmly down at her confused expression.

"..Thank you," she mumbled, lowering her eyes to stare into her tea cup again. It was just a few moments later that she heard two sets of footsteps and she lifted her head to see the Mori and Hunny had returned. Hastily setting her tea aside, Kimiko stood, clutching Kyoya's jacket so that it wouldn't fall from her shoulders and ran toward the two seniors. "Mori, Hunny, are you ok? What happened? You're not hurt, are-"

Putting a hand on Kimiko's shoulder, Mori met her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

"We're both fine, Kimi-chan," Hunny piped, beaming brightly at her when she looked over at him.

"What about you, are you alright," Mori inquired.

Switching her attention back to Mori, Kimiko nodded and tried to smile, but when her eyes began to crinkle tears slid past her eyelids and down her cheeks.

"Kimi-chan..." Hunny said slowly, his voice questioning and worried.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes again and lowered her head. "I'm so sorry," she choked out, her shoulders beginning to shake. "This is all my fault. I've caused you all so much trouble. I-" Kimiko was cut off when Mori's hand that was on her shoulder pulled her towards his tall, lean body before one hand wrapped around her shoulders and the the other rested on top of her head.

"You shouldn't apologize. It's not your fault," he told her simply.

"Takashi is right, Kimi-chan," Hunny agreed. "We don't think it's your fault at all and it really wasn't any trouble. We're just happy that nothing happened to you. Right, Takashi?"

"Right."

"Why do you guys even care? You haven't even known me that long," Kimiko pointed out.

Smiling brightly, Hunny answered simply, "It doesn't matter how long we've known you, you're our friend and we'll always be there for you."

"Hunny-senpai's right, Kimiko," Tamaki spoke stepping beside the shorter senior and offering a smile of his own. "Like it or not, you're part of the family now and family always looks out for one another. Isn't that right," he asked, glancing behind Kimiko to the twins, Kyoya and Haruhi.

"That's right," several voices chorused in reply much to Kimiko's surprise.

"Kimiko-sama, the car is ready to take you home now."

Stepping away from Mori, Kimiko looked over to see the Haka was standing a lit apart from the group. "Where are Chika and Tomoe?"

"They're taking Aratoshi-san home," he replied shortly.

Nodding, Kimiko turned around and began to remove Kyoya's black coat from over her shoulders.

"Why don't you hold on to that for now. I'll get it tomorrow," Kyoya told her.

"It's alright. I still have to get my things from the changing room and I have a sweater-"

"Your things are already in the car, Kimiko-sama. I took the liberty of retrieving them since I wanted to get you home quickly," Haka informed her.

"Oh, well.. Are you sure you don't mind, Kyoya?"

"Not at all."

"Then.. Good night everyone," Kimiko said, smiling weakly before turning to walk to where Haka was waiting for her.

* * *

"What happened, Haka? With Kiyoshi?" Kimiko inquired when they were both in the car driving through the darkness while she stared out of the darkly tinted window blankly.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kimiko-sama," Haka replied.

Frowning, Kimiko sighed, but let the subject drop. It hadn't seemed as if either Mori or Hunny had engaged in any fighting and though she knew both boys had extensive training in martial arts, she was worried that they would be hurt and it would be her fault for getting them involved in something they never should have been.

"I heard Ootori-sama mention seeing you tomorrow. Did you two have plans," Haka inquired.

"Yes, he invited me to the opening of an art gallery. He'll be picking me up at five."

"Pardon me for saying so, but I don't trust that boy. I get the feeling that he's up to something and I don't like it."

"I don't either," Kimiko replied tiredly. "Kyoya Ootori is a mystery to me, but for some reason I'm finding myself drawn to him. It's rather annoying to be honest. I'd be much happier if I didn't have to deal with this silly crush, but I'm not foolish enough to believe I'll just be able to forget about it... No matter how much I'd like to."

Haka was silent for a few moments. "Just be careful, Kimiko."

Smiling, Kimiko looked over at Haka and chuckled. "Just because I'm drawn to him, doesn't mean I trust him. "

* * *

Sighing and kicking off her black high heels, Kimiko plopped herself down on to her couch and put an arm over her eyes. The last several hours had been spent interacting with the aristocracy of Japan and it had been tiring to play the role of the charming and charismatic heiress. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much and she was fairly certain that if she had to laugh coyly anytime with in the next several days she would end up twitching uncontrollably and cursing like a sailor.

Throughout the night she had come to learn that Kyoya was extraordinarily skilled at acting the part of the kind, sociable and bright son of Japan's top hospital management company. Even while at the Host Club, she had never seen him smile or laugh as often as he had tonight. Of course it had all been rehearsed and fake, just as all of her smiles and girlish giggles had been, but she wasn't sure where he got the energy for it. Within only an hour of arriving at the art gallery, she was ready to call it a night while he was still chatting amicably away with anyone that approached them.

And continued to do so for nearly three more hours.

She found herself being highly impressed with Kyoya and his ability to win over nearly every person that they spoke with over the course of their long evening mingling with many of Japan's elite. Of course she knew that the only reason he was even bothering to speak with anyone was because it was beneficial to him, but somehow it didn't matter... She found herself proud to be in his presence and she was certain that she had even blushed on several occasions.

Occasions during which she scolded herself for acting like a love sick child and tried to desperately remind herself that she was with Kyoya Ootori. And that she couldn't stand him.

However, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that she wanted nothing to do with the handsome teen whose arm she was latched onto most of the night for fear of having to deal with any of the aristocracy on her own, she didn't quite believe it.

"I'm just stressed out. That's it. I'm not thinking clearly due to all of the stress I've been under." Sighing, Kimiko pushed herself up from her couch and slouched to her bathroom. "Maybe a shower and some sleep will help me come to my senses and remember that I can't stand Kyoya Ootori... I think I was happier then because honestly... I'm exhausted."

* * *

When Kimiko arrived at the academy after the weekend, she was a bit surprised to find Hunny and Mori waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. Hunny was perched on Mori's shoulders and waving enthusiastically at her as she stepped out of the black car that had brought her to school.

"Kimi-chan! Kimi-chan! Good morning, want to walk to class with us," Hunny inquired cheerfully.

"I thought the seniors classrooms were on a different floor," Kimiko replied.

"They are, but Takashi and I wanted to talk to you so we thought we would walk with you to class," Hunny chirped.

"Oh, ok. What did you want to talk about," she asked, adjusting her bag over her shoulder and stepping up beside the two seniors.

"So how was your weekend, Kimi-chan? I heard you and Kyo-chan went to some art show, was it fun?"

"Not exactly. It was a bit boring, but it was better than being stuck at home, I suppose," she answered with a slight chuckle.

"What about Kyo-chan, did he have fun?"

"Somehow I don't think so.. Why do you seem so curious about Kyoya?" Kimiko asked, stopping and looking up at Hunny whose face was pulled into a cute, thoughtful frown.

"It's just... we know that Kyo-chan wouldn't hurt you, but Takashi and I are worried that-"

"Kyoya's up to something," Kimiko finished for Hunny. "I get that feeling too, but I'm finding it's rather normal around him."

"You like him," Mori said.

Kimiko blinked, taken aback by the abrupt comment. She was so caught off guard that she couldn't help but to answer honestly. Much more honestly than she had wanted. "Yes, I guess, I do."

Hunny smiled at the look of embarrassment on Kimiko's face. "It's alright, Kimi-chan. We won't tell. Right, Takashi?"

Mori nodded in reply, but Kimiko was a bit confused to see that there was something in his eyes dark eyes. Something like disappointment, shaking off the feeling that had fallen over her, she returned Hunny's smile.

"Thanks. It's something I'd rather keep to myself," Kimiko replied. 'Or just forget about altogether,' she thought to herself. 'After all, this is Kyoya we're talking about and somehow I see being involved with him as being far too complicated for my liking.'

"Just be careful," Mori told her.

Blinking at the tall senior, Kimiko didn't know what to do so she settled for nodding before jumping when the bell that signaled classes were going to be starting rang.

"We need to get to class, see you later, Kimi-chan," Hunny sang jovially, waving to her when Mori turned away and began walking towards the stairs.

"Good morning," two voices sang in unison.

Kimiko was pushed forward slightly by the added weight of two arms that wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"Good morning, Hikaru, Kaoru," Kimiko replied, glancing at each twin and noting the large grins plastered on their faces. "I take it by those smirks that you're up to no good, as usual?"

"Us?" They chorused.

"Up to no good?" Kaoru asked.

"We would never." Hikaru finished

"Yeah, right," Kimiko snorted, beginning to walk towards their classroom and ignoring the looks the three of them got as they walked together, the twins with their arms still around her shoulders.

"So we heard that you and Kyoya-senpai had a date this weekend," Hikaru said casually. "How was it?"

"It wasn't a date," Kimiko replied stubbornly.

"Then why are you blushing," Kaoru pointed out, pinching her and pulling his hand away before Kimiko could swat at it.

"I am not blushing."

"Are too," the two brothers sang.

Huffing indignantly, Kimiko detached herself from the twins' arms and ignored them the rest of the way to class.

"You seem to be okay with Kimiko dating Kyoya," Hikaru said quietly to his identical brother. " I thought you liked her?"

"Why would you think that," Kaoru asked, avoiding the question.

"Because I know you better than anyone, duh."

"Maybe I do like her, Hikaru, but I know it wouldn't work."

"Why's that?"

"Because for a long time anyone that wasn't us didn't matter. Our world consisted of us only and I don't think either one one of us is quite ready for it to be any other way," Kaoru replied.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Kimiko said, opening the door to the Third Music room and looking up to see that everyone was lounging around in separate parts of the room, waiting for the arrival of their guests.

Since there was a short break for the New Year's holiday a few days away it had been decided that the club would wait to do any more costume play until after the New Year so that the girls would have something to look forward to upon returning to school.

Kimiko began to head towards the changing room so she could set her bag down and pull her hair up, but stopped and turned back around. Striding over to where Kyoya sat near the window writing in his notebook and ignoring the world, she leaned over his shoulder and took a look at the notes he was jotting down in his neat, crisp writing. Finding it was nothing interesting, just figures of the clubs expenditures for the month, she plunked her chin on to Kyoya's shoulder and blinked at him while he blatantly ignored her presence.

"Just out of curiosity, Kyoya, how much money did the club make off of those picture books I put together?" She inquired after deciding that waiting for the Ootori to address her would take far too long.

"I believe it was in the area of fifty thousand yen. Why?" He replied, still not bothering to actually look at the girl who had her chin perched on his shoulder and was staring at him expectantly.

"And how much of that went towards my debt?"

"Not much since the materials and printing costs were rather high."

"I see. So lets say that I had paid for the materials and all costs, not to mention had acquired higher quality photos... Would all of the profits made go towards paying off my debt," Kimiko inquired, smiling innocently when Kyoya glanced over at her for the first time.

"What are you up to, Kimiko?" He asked guardedly.

Chuckling, she straightened up and winked at Kyoya. "Nothing you need to worry about, Kyoya."

"Somehow I doubt that," he sighed when Kimiko proceeded to skip off towards the changing room.

* * *

Kimiko was mildly surprised that there was absolutely no awkwardness between herself and any of the other Host Club members. After the morning she had had, she had expected there to be at least some kind of obvious awkward tension, but there was none. It was almost as if nothing at all had happened between herself and Hunny and Mori, or the twins. Or Kyoya for that matter seeing as how they had spent the better part of an evening together without the accompaniment of anyone else. Not that she minded, she would rather forget about all of the odd things that had transpired. Including the so called date she had had with Kyoya since she was trying to hate him again.

"Would you like any tea or coffee, Kyoya," she asked, stopping by the table that he was still sitting alone at.

"No, thank you."

Lifting a brow at the fact that Kyoya had yet to really look at her, she sighed before bending over and putting her face directly in front of his so that he had no choice but to look at her and not at the laptop he was studying so intently.

"Yes, Kimiko," he asked, his eyes lifting to meet hers.

"I was just wondering why you seem so intent on ignoring me today."

Sighing, Kyoya adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I'm not ignoring you, I've just been busy trying to figure out a way to pay for the upcoming spring tea party that Tamaki is so intent on having in the garden. The rental fees on the costumes not to mention the props we would need are quite costly. I must say that sometimes even I have a hard time keeping up with Tamaki's capriciousness."

"Maybe I could help with that," Kimiko said a wide grin forming on her face as she reached into an inner pocket of her blazer and pulled out a sleek purple cell phone. Pressing a few buttons on the phone, she brought it to her ear and waited for a few moments before speaking again. "It's me. Would you mind bringing in one of those packages from earlier?"

Kyoya watched with interest as Kimiko thanked the person on the other line and hung up her phone before replacing it in her coat. It was his turn to tilt a brow up at Kimiko, he was beginning to get a little suspicious of the grin on her face. "Mind telling me what you're up to?"

"You'll see soon enough," Kimiko answered, glancing over at the doors that were being opened by two men in black suits to allow yet another man in a black suit to enter. In the man's arms was a rather large box that he carried over to the table that Kyoya and Kimiko were lounging at. Setting it on the floor, he bowed to Kimiko and left. "Thank you, Haka," Kimiko sang, opening the box and pulling a few things from it.

Attempting to see just what was in the box, Kyoya stood up and walked around the table but instead of getting a look in the box or what was in Kimiko's hands he found his black notebook being thrust into his arms.

"You're going to need that," Kimiko said before grabbing onto Kyoya's arm and tugging the reluctant boy towards the center of the large music room where most of the hosts and their guests were gathered. She released Kyoya when the two stepped up to a coffee table that Kimiko wasted no time stepping on to gaining the attention of the majority of the room's occupants.

"Ladies, may I have your attention please," she called out, her raised voice earning her the attention of every single person in the room. Smiling, she whipped her hands from behind her back and held them out before her. In each hand were three glossy magazines.

Gasps were heard from around the room and chairs were pushed back, some toppling to the shiny floor as the girls that had been sitting in them excitedly got up to circle the table that Kimiko was standing on. The eyes of every girl were glued to the magazines in Kimiko's hands and when she moved the magazines, the eyes of the girls followed.

Watching from a safe distance, Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose and fought back the smirk that was threatening to break out over his face at Kimiko's antics.

"Hey, Kyoya, was this your idea," Tamaki asked, taking up a spot right beside his best friend.

"Not exactly."

"What is she doing," Hikaru and Kaoru asked, joining the two second years.

Kyoya shrugged. "Helping apparently."

"Helping with what, Kyo-chan?" Hunny hopped his way over to join the group, Mori trailing behind him since they had all lost their guests' attention to Kimiko.

"I'm not quite sure yet," Kyoya answered.

"Beloved guests of the Host Club, as a fellow girl that appreciates the finer things in life, including the company of gorgeous young men," Kimiko began, her voice hypnotizing the girls that were crowded around her. "I am happy to announce that I have here in my hands a high quality gathering of picture books dedicated to showcasing the beauty of each member of the Host Club."

There was some wow-ing and oh-ing and ah-ing from the girls, some drooling and blushing and Kimiko was certain one girl even fainted.

"I have in my possession a limited supply of these amazing books and would like to offer them to you at the low price for such beauty at five thousand yen a piece or a set price of twenty thousand yen," Kimiko explained, grimacing when the girls began to loudly shout out their orders for the books. "Kyoya over there will take your orders and I'll personally deliver them to each of the lucky ladies before the end of school tomorrow." Kimiko turned back to Kyoya smiling when the girls rushed him and he gave her a rather annoyed glance.

* * *

"So, Kyoya," Kimiko said, strolling casually over to the rather disheveled looking teen and plopping herself into the chair opposite his. "How many orders did you take?"

"I believe the final count was forty."

"That's it? I was expecting more. How interesting," Kimiko mused. "Anyway, I'll need a list of all of the girls who purchased books so I can bag them and deliver them tomorrow."

"Fine, but may I ask a favor?" Kyoya paused in the midst of jotting something down in his notebook to look up at Kimiko.

Putting her chin in the palm of one of her hands, Kimiko smiled a fake, but sweet smile. "Sure."

"The next time you decide to help, let me know before hand if it's not too much trouble," Kyoya requested, gifting Kimiko with a smile of his own.

Her smile faltering, Kimiko found her cheeks growing warm and with a groan let her head thunk onto the table. Not caring how crazy she looked, she knocked her head against the table several times, repeating the words, 'I can't stand Kyoya Ootori,' to herself with each thump. When she was unable to convince herself of her own words, she slumped over the table with another groan.

A bit confused by Kimiko's sudden change in attitude, Kyoya couldn't help but to stare at the top of Kimiko's head and blink. "Kimiko, are you alright," he inquired curiously.

Inwardly groaning, Kimiko nodded, which didn't accomplish much since her forehead was sitting on the table. "Yeah, I'm just beginning to realize that there are somethings you can't make yourself forget, no matter how much you want to."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Kyoya replied uncertainly.

Sighing, Kimiko lifted her head from the table and chuckled weakly. "Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to confuse you, sorry. If you'll excuse me, Kyoya, I think I'm going to call it a day and head home."

Still confused with the odd turn of events, Kyoya could only watch Kimiko walk away since words were hard to come by at the moment. When she disappeared into the changing room to get her things, he laughed to himself and felt his lips pulled into an amused smile.

"What are you so happy about, Kyoya," Tamaki asked, sliding into the seat that Kimiko had vacated and crossing his long legs.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyoya answered evasively pushing his glasses up his nose and returning his attention to his laptop.

"I've noticed that you and Kimiko seem to be getting quite close. I hope your intentions towards our beautiful princess are honorable."

"My intentions are none of your concern, Tamaki."

"If you say so, Kyoya," Tamaki replied. "But just to satisfy my curiosity.. are you attracted to Kimiko?"

"She's a very attractive girl, Tamaki, but I'm not sure what you're getting at," Kyoya said, leaning back in his chair to stare blankly at Tamaki and fold his arms over his chest.

"Well, to be blunt, I want to know if you like Kimiko."

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Kyoya partially hid behind his hand, not realizing the slight tint that had warmed his cheeks. "I don't dislike her. She's a very bright girl."

"You're dodging the question, Kyoya."

"Am I? Then perhaps you should phrase it so I can better understand your meaning." He folded his arms over his chest again and attempted to appear disinterested in the conversation.

"I think you understand my meaning perfectly, Kyoya, and I think I've already gotten my answer," Tamaki stood up, smiling smugly to himself.

"Oh, and what might that be," Kyoya asked conversationally.

"You'll figure it out... eventually."

Sighing, Kyoya returned to his laptop, but found he was now no longer able to focus on his work. Closing the screen of his laptop, he leaned back into his chair and once again pushed his glasses up his nose. "I already have," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes tiredly. "I didn't need you to remind me, Tamaki... It rather complicates things."

* * *

~A/N~

Thank you for reading!

Please review!


	14. Chapter 14 Propositions

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

**Chapter 14**

**Propositions**

Wiping the sweat from her forehead with a soft white towel, Kimiko grabbed a cool bottle of water from where it sat in a cup holder on the treadmill she had just finished her early evening jog on and took several long gulps of the refreshing liquid.

"Lets see," she mused quietly to herself glancing around the well equipped gym and its many pieces of equipment. "I think today I'll take it easy and just do some simple pilates exercises."

Walking over to where several mats where set up Kimiko grabbed one of the larger inflatable exercise balls. Sitting on the ball and taking a deep, relaxing breath, Kimiko prepared to walk her feet forward so that her back would be draped over the ball. Just as she took one step a voice startled her from the doorway and she squealed, losing her balance and toppling onto the floor with a wince.

Picking herself up and leaning on to her elbows, Kimiko groaned and wondered just who had interrupted her routine. Looking towards the door, she yelped in surprise when a blond blur raced towards her and strong arms wrapped around her neck. Not expecting the sudden weight, her elbows buckled and she slipped back onto the floor with another groan of pain despite the fact she was laying on top of padded mats.

"Good evening, Kimi-chan," a voice sung above her.

Her neck now free, Kimiko blinked her eyes open and stared up at Hunny in confusion. It wasn't a school day since they were on break for the New Year's holiday and she was wondering what had brought the senior to her house. Not to mention she was pretty certain that she had never told anyone aside from Kyoya where she lived. Then again rich people had their ways of finding information they desired.

"Mori-senpai?" She questioned when another figure came into view behind the small senior. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We didn't want you to spend New Year's night all alone so we thought we'd visit," Hunny replied jovially, smiling brightly. "That's okay, isn't it," he asked, his smile fading as it was replaced by his famous puppy dog eyes that Kimiko still couldn't say no to.

"U-um. Y-yeah, it's fine," Kimiko answered, chuckling in defeat.

"Great!" Hunny cheered. "So what do you want to do? Wanna go buy some cake? Or we could play games...."

Ignoring Hunny as the short blond bounced around the gym thinking of the many different things they could do, Kimiko began to pick herself up from the floor. She started when a hand appeared in front of her face and she blinked at it before looking up at Mori. For several seconds they just stared at one another until Kimiko snapped out of her stupor, her cheeks burning for some reason she couldn't name. Taking the offered hand she let Mori help her up from the floor and dusted herself off.

"I thought that most people spent the New Year's holiday at home with their families, Hunny-senpai," Kimiko remarked.

Spinning around and hopping up to Kimiko, Hunny grinned widely. "That's true, but both of our families are away this year so we thought it would be nice to spend it with Kimi-chan since no one should be alone on New Year's, right, Takashi?"

"Right."

"I'm not alone," Kimiko countered, laughing nervously when both Hunny and Mori gave her looks that said they didn't believe her. "Haka is here. Chika and Tomoe too... I gave the rest of the staff the next few days off to spend with family."

"Well, we're here now, Kimi-chan, what would you like to do?" Hunny inquired sweetly.

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't planning on doing anything tonight to be honest. I was thinking I'd just find a book and read."

"That's no fun, Kimi-chan," Hunny pouted. "I know! We should throw a party!"

"A party," Kimiko repeated uncertainly.

Hunny nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, a party. It'll be fun we can invite the rest of the club and eat a bunch of food and sweets!"

Dreading the idea of throwing a party and inviting the rest of the Host Club, Kimiko tried to think of a way out of the scenario that was proposed. "Uh...As fun as that sounds Hunny-senpai like I said I gave all of my staff except for Haka, Chika and Tomoe the day off... I don't have the resources to throw a party on such short notice."

"Oh," Hunny replied, hanging his head sadly and sniffling. "I understand. It's okay, Kimi-chan, I'm sure we'll..find.. something else..."

'Oh crap,' Kimiko thought, watching as Hunny wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. 'If he keeps this up I'm going to cave...'

"You know, Hunny," Kimiko began slowly, not really wanting to continue but not seeing any other way out of the situation she was in. "I guess I could do the cooking and-"

"Yay!" Hunny cheered, instantly brightening and jumping up to hug Kimiko. "I'll go call everyone and tell them. Thanks, Kimi-chan!"

Slumping forward, Kimiko moaned and scolded herself for being so gullible and not realizing that it had all been just an act.

"I'll help," Mori spoke up, laying a hand on Kimiko's head and ruffling her messy ponytail. He didn't fail to notice the way she stiffened for a few seconds before glancing up at him, it was something he found odd. Whether she noticed it or not, she had a tendency to stiffen whenever anyone came into contact with her as if she were expecting a light touch to be a sharp blow.

Glancing up at Mori, Kimiko blinked several times before smiling lopsidedly. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that, Mori." She hadn't realized that she had forgotten to added the honorific, having felt too comfortable and not really paying attention to manners. "I suppose I should go to the kitchen and see what we have so I can start planning what I'll be making...."

"You might want to shower first," Mori suggested casually.

"Eh..." Blushing, Kimiko rubbed at the back of her neck and smiled embarrassedly.

She had somehow forgotten that she was rather disheveled and sweaty from her recent workout. Not to mention she was wearing her normal workout attire which consisted of a tight fitting black shirt layered beneath a red tank top and body hugging yoga pants that flared slightly at the bottom. She felt rather exposed suddenly even though the clothes weren't all that revealing.

"That's probably a good idea... I'm going to go take a shower and change, you and Hunny are welcome to make yourselves at home. If you need anything just ask Haka, he'll get you anything you need."

"Do you practice martial arts?"

Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, Kimiko looked up at Mori to see he was eying a corner of the room that had a variety of sparring equipment set up around blue tatami mats.

"Oh, I know some Jujitsu, not much to be honest. Haka taught me a few things so that I could protect myself. Otherwise, I'm not very athletic. I work out regularly, but that's about it. I'm a bit fragile and not very graceful as I'm sure you've noticed, so I can't do too much without hurting myself somehow."

"Whose bow," Mori questioned, walking towards a tall bow that was resting against the wall near the sparring equipment. Beside the bow was a straw target and a container that held several bamboo arrow with feathered ends.

"Um, mine. Archery was the only thing I was fairly good at in school in America," Kimiko replied, walking behind Mori and watching him as he picked up and examined the bow. "I found archery to be relaxing somehow. All of the concentration and training it takes to make your body one with the bow and arrow... Ah, sorry, I'm rambling."

Turning around, Mori held the tall bow out to Kimiko. "Would you show me?"

"... Sure, I guess," she replied, taking the bow from Mori's hand and stepping around him to pick up a three fingered glove that she slid onto her left hand before carefully selecting an arrow.

Stepping out of the way and off to the side, Mori watched as Kimiko counted her steps until she turned back towards the target when she was about 30 yards away from the round target. First she took her time in arranging her feet and body into the proper position before adjusting her grip on the bow and the bowstring.

Mori couldn't help but notice that Kimiko was so focused on what she was doing that she had let her guard drop. Her face cleanly displayed her emotions and for once she didn't look so lost, but relaxed and at peace. She possessed a great deal of grace and elegance, pride too and it was obvious in the way she now held herself.

Turning her head towards the target, Kimiko slowly lifted the bow over her head and took a deep breath before beginning to lower it while simultaneously pulling the string backwards. When she had reached full draw so that the bowstring was pulled taught behind her ear, she focused on her target and released the arrow, remaining in the same stance even after the arrow had struck the target a few inches from the center.

"That was a good shot."

Kimiko jolted, she had forgotten that Mori had been watching her because she had been so absorbed in what she was doing. Lowering her bow, Kimiko smiled at Mori and returned the bow and her glove to where they had been. "Thank you, but I'm not that good and I know it. It's just something I do because I enjoy it."

"Ah."

Walking towards the doors to the gym so that she could take a shower and clean up, Kimiko asked, "What about you, Mori? What do you enjoy doing?"

"Kendo," the tall senior replied.

"I had heard you were quite skilled. You're in the kendo club, right?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I'll come watch a match or practice sometime. I don't really know much about kendo," Kimiko admitted before realizing how forward she was being. "..If you don't mind of course."

"I don't mind."

"Haka," Kimiko called when the tall man walked down the hallway. "It seems we're going to be having some guests...Would you mind showing Mori around since I'm not sure where Hunny ran off to and I need to clean up, please?"

"Not a problem, Kimiko-sama. Would you like me to call in one of the cooks?"

Shaking her head, Kimiko made her way to the stairs. "No, let them spend time with their families. I'll take care of the cooking myself. Besides, Mori said he'd help, right?"

Mori nodded in reply.

"See. It'll be fine. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go get cleaned up," Kimiko chirped flashing a smile at the two and jogging up the stairs.

"She seems to be in good spirits," Haka commented. "It's nice to see her happy."

"She's very lonely, isn't she," Mori asked.

Glancing over Mori, Haka sighed, but nodded when he deemed that the boy was no threat to Kimiko or her happiness. "Kimiko-sama likes to be alone anymore and she distances herself from everyone. She used to be very outgoing, but... After her father's death things changed and she stopped smiling. Really smiling anyway."

"Her father meant a lot to her."

"Yes, they were very close and his death was a big shock to her. For a very long time she has isolated herself from anyone that tried to get close to her. I'm actually surprised she went along with this Host Club business. I'm even more surprised that she seems to be enjoying her time with you boys. I just hope she's careful. Kimiko is a very caring person despite what she might want others to think and I don't want to see her hurt." Haka gave Mori a stern look that seemed to imply that should he hurt the young girl he was protecting he would pay for it.

"We don't want to see Kimi-chan hurt either, right Takashi," Hunny asked, popping up between the two and smiling gently.

"Right."

"We may not have known her for long, but Kimi-chan is our friend and we'll take good care of her. So you don't have anything to worry about, ok, Mr Bodyguard?" Hunny beamed brightly and innocently up at Haka who knew that he wasn't lying and nodded.

"Take good care of her. I have a feeling that she'll need friends by her side sometime soon," Haka replied cryptically.

* * *

Mori and Hunny both looked up from the tea that had been served to them while they waited for Kimiko to clean up and scanned the room in confusion. Music had suddenly begun to play in the room from hidden speakers, startling them both since it had been rather quiet before it had come on. The song that had begun playing was "You're A God" by Vertical Horizon, an American band that neither boy was familiar with.

"Hope you don't mind the music choice," Kimiko said, skipping through the door a moment later and smiling.

She wore light jeans that sat low on her waist and a pink lace camisole beneath a black scoop necked t-shirt that was decorated with pink and white intricate Gothic designs. Several chain link necklaces jostled around her neck.

Since neither boy said anything, Kimiko continued. "I like a lot of music and have an extensive collection so don't be surprised if you hear some rock music followed by a classical score or something."

Standing up and giddily bouncing up to Kimiko, Hunny grinned widely. "Takashi says we're going to help you cook for everyone, so what are we going to cook, Kimi-chan?"

"Um..." The thought of the small often too enthusiastic and energetic senior in her kitchen unsettled Kimiko, but judging by the lack of alarm or concern on Mori's face when she looked over at the taller senior who was striding over to them, she hoped her fear was misplaced. "I'm not too sure what we have to be honest."

"Then lets go look," Hunny giggled, grabbing Kimiko's hand and tugging her out of the room and towards the kitchen that she figured Haka had pointed out.

* * *

Having found that there was plenty of food options and grateful to the cooks for keeping things such as homemade dashi on hand in the freezer, Kimiko knew there would be little problem in preparing food for the people that would soon be invading her home. The only thing that worried her was that she wasn't much of a sweet eater so there wasn't a whole lot of sweet foods kept on hand.

"We can start off with the rice, we'll need that. I can also make miso soup and since we're feeding so many people maybe some edamame and tempura vegetables. I'm not sure what else..." Kimiko mused, gazing into the pantry, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the door knob. "We have a ton of fresh vegetables and tofu so I can make a few different stir fries... Maybe some salmon or beef too."

"Sounds great, Kimi-chan! What can we do," Hunny asked, determinedly looking up at her. "We're at your service," he said, nodding seriously and saluting her.

Laughing at how silly he looked, Kimiko shook her head mirthfully. 'This is going to be interesting,' she thought to herself. "The rice won't take too long, we should get everything else started. I suppose that would mean prepping everything first. So why don't we start with the vegetables and then we'll slice up the meat and get the salmon ready. After that we'll start the rice and making the entrees too."

"Yes, ma'am," Hunny chirped, spinning around on his toes and skipping towards the fridge.

Sighing, Kimiko followed after him, Mori trailing along behind her. It wasn't long before carrots and potatoes were peeled and diced, onion chopped, bean sprouts, asparagus and broccoli washed and set aside, green beans cleaned and ends removed, bell peppers and mushrooms sliced, garlic and ginger minced. Everything was set out on the counter neatly and in its own mixing bowl so that it would be easy to use whatever was needed for the different things they would be making.

"I think I hear Hika-chan and Kao-chan," Hunny piped happily, beaming at Kimiko who paused in the midst of grabbing a set of small mixing bowls out of a cupboard to look over her shoulder at him. "I'll go say hi!"

Setting down the plastic bowls, Kimiko looked over to Mori who seemed to be idly waiting for more orders. "Thanks for all of the help, Mori, but you can go see everyone if you'd like. I think I can handle everything from here. I'll make everyone some tea and bring it into the parlor in just a few minutes, ok?" Smiling, Kimiko made her way to the pantry to find the loose leaf tea collection that was kept on hand. Figuring that green tea would go well with the food she would be serving, she made to grab the tin of green tea leaves only to find that it was gone.

Looking around the large pantry, Kimiko spotted another tin on a top shelf, pushed relatively far back. Frowning, she tried to reach for the tin, but her fingers couldn't even brush over the metal it was so far back on the high shelf. With no stepping stool in sight, Kimiko stepped onto the second shelf, holding onto another with one hand to keep her balance and reaching with her free hand for the tea.

"Kimiko-san?"

She snapped her head around in surprise at hearing her name and blinked at Mori who was standing just outside the pantry. Eyes widening, she froze when an ominous creaking sound was emitted from the wood shelf she was standing on. The creak was followed by a groan and the shelf shuddered beneath her. There was no time for her to even try to step down from the shelf when it snapped beneath her foot, with a shout of surprise Kimiko let go of the shelf she had been using to steady herself and began to fall backwards, her eyes squeezed shut and her body tensed in anticipation of the impact she was going to take.

Instead of a rough and painful collision with the ground and whatever fell off the shelves, Kimiko found herself falling onto something much softer and fleshy than the tile flooring. There was a grunt from whoever had broken her fall as they took the brunt of the impact from not only falling onto the floor, but having her land on top of them.

It didn't take a lot of thought for her to figure out that it was Mori who had tried to catch her, she could tell by the sound of the grunt and the hands that reached out to grab her. Not to mention he had been standing only a few feet away. "Thanks, Mori, but... are you alright," Kimiko asked, wincing when she tried to move her ankle that had smashed through the shelf.

"Fine. Are you alright?"

Nodding, Kimiko carefully scooted off of Mori, staying on the floor and leaning over to examine her ankle. The snapped wood had scratched her foot and when she had fallen it had twisted rather painfully. It appeared ok, just scratched and sore.

"Your back," Mori said, his deep voice startling Kimiko whose eyes widened as she froze.

When Mori crouched down and reached forward as if to lift the back of her shirt, Kimiko spun around, tugging her shirt down and standing up so quickly she almost fell over in her haste. Confused, Mori blinked at her and straightened up himself.

"What happened?"

Grinding her teeth, Kimiko shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing happened, my back is fine."

Lifting a brow, his expression remaining as stoic and cool as usual, Mori countered with, "It's scarred. It looks like a burn."

Fingers curling around the fabric of her shirt hem, Kimiko looked away from Mori. "My back is fine," she said with blank finality.

There were several seconds of silence during which neither one of them noticed the light footsteps that were retreating from the kitchen. Neither had even noticed the presence of the dark haired, bespectacled boy that had watched part of their exchange.

Sensing that it would be best to let the topic drop, Mori looked down at Kimiko's injured ankle and frowned. It didn't look to be too badly damaged, but she was favoring it, letting him know that it was causing her some pain. Stepping towards Kimiko, Mori scooped her up in his arms easily and made his way out of the pantry with her blinking in confusion in his arms.

After setting her down on a stool, he lowered himself down and gently took Kimiko's ankle in his hand to examine it.

Blushing profusely, Kimiko held herself up on the stool trying to think of something to say and wondering if she even could say anything without stuttering incomprehensibly.

"Do you have an ice pack?" Mori asked.

"Uh, there's plastic bags in the cupboard by the sink and ice in the freezer," she answered. "But I can get it. I'm fine."

Not listening to Kimiko's protests, Mori stood and quickly retrieved a bag that he filled with ice and wrapped in several paper towels. After preparing the bag, he walked back to Kimiko, who expected him to put the bag on her ankle not to suddenly lift her into his arms and carry her from the kitchen.

Too stunned to really say anything, Kimiko just let him do as he pleased and embarrassedly smiled at her guests that were sitting around in a large, modern living room.

"Hi guys," she said, waving timidly, her face pink.

"Did something happen to Kimi-chan?" Hunny asked, hopping over to where Mori was setting her gently down on a plush black micro suede couch and setting her ankle on the matching ottoman.

"She fell," Mori replied simply.

"I'm fine," Kimiko insisted when everyone began to gather around her. "It's just swollen."

"You should stay off your foot for awhile," Mori advised, standing up after putting the ice on her ankle.

Craning her neck to look up at the tall boy, Kimiko smiled reassuringly. "Thank you for all the help, but I'll be fine. Besides, someone has to cook."

"Don't worry about it, Kimi-chan, we'll take care of it," Hunny piped. He then hopped happily off towards the kitchen, Mori following behind at a much slower, calmer pace.

"You seem to be getting along quite well with Mori-senpai, Kimiko."

Leaning her head back against the couch, Kimiko saw that Kyoya was leaning into the back of the couch behind her. His arms were folded over his chest and his face appeared to be blank from what she could see.

Kimiko countered Kyoya's comment blandly. "And?"

Adjusting his glasses, Kyoya shook his head. "Just making an observation."

Tilting a brow upwards, Kimiko asked in a voice she hoped was more teasing than curious. "Are you jealous, Kyoya?"

A quiet snort jolted his shoulders. "What would give you that idea?"

Kimiko let her head fall forward so she was no longer looking awkwardly back at him and shrugged. "Foolishness," she muttered to herself.

Kyoya smirked to himself, turning around to lean over the couch so that he was now right beside Kimiko. "And if I was?"

Jerking her head to the side, Kimiko stared at Kyoya. She was at a loss of words, he caught her off guard with his question and the rather flirtatious manner in which he had asked it. The suggestive, yet proud smile he wore threw her off even further. This wasn't the smile he wore with the club visitors, it wasn't and she wasn't sure if it was real or fake. After some thought and searching through his eyes, she determined it was real and it only confused her more. Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. Sighing in frustration, she looked away from the handsome boy that was smiling at her.

"If you were jealous," she finally spoke up, looking back over at him and smiling flirtatiously. "Then perhaps you should do something about it."

Kyoya remained silent and watched as Kimiko leaned forward to poke Hikaru and Kaoru in their sides. The twins proceeded to grin widely and practically pulled Kimiko from the couch to sit between them while Tamaki complained, loudly, about how they shouldn't treat injured women so roughly.

"Hey, where's Haruhi," Kimiko asked after Tamaki had quieted so he could shuffle a deck of cards.

"She's spending the evening at home with her father," Kyoya answered, sidling over to the group and taking a seat at the table with everyone else.

"Oh, well that's good for her," Kimiko replied before whacking Hikaru's hand away from her hair only to yelp when Kaoru somehow managed to get behind her and began to busy himself with her long locks. Sighing in exasperation and knowing it was better to just let the twins have their way, Kimiko let them play with her hair while she, Tamaki and Kyoya played a game of Go Fish at Tamaki's insistence.

The rest of the night was spent playing games, dancing on occasion whenever the twins or Tamaki heard a song they favored. Hunny and Mori had made amazing food and the group had eaten all of it, stuffing themselves before relaxing in an enclosed patio on the second floor that provided wonderful views of the night sky and the city.

There was a telescope that the twins, Hunny and Mori were fiddling with, a chess board that Tamaki and Kyoya had sat down around as well as several comfortable reclining chains, one of which Kimiko had sat down in so she could stare up through the glass ceiling at the stars above. It was while they were all busying themselves with something or other while listening to the music that was playing that Kimiko drifted off into a world of her own, she forgot about everyone else and only saw the stars above and heard only the music playing over the speakers.

Without realizing it, she had begun to sing. Her voice starting out as merely a soft whisper, but steadily growing as she lost focus on everything else. She didn't even notice that the room had gone completely silent and that everyone was staring at her.

The song was one of her favorites called City by Sara Bareilles. It was a fairly slow song that aways made Kimiko think of a dimly lit bar, smoke filtering through it while a lone woman played the piano and sung while the bar's usual patrons listened and swayed in time to the music, just as she was doing. When she had sung the last bar, her eyes drifted shut and sighed, finally realizing how quiet it seemed in the room. She opened her eyes at the same moment that Hunny appeared in front of her, his eyes wide and an appreciative smile on his face.

"That was amazing, Kimi-chan, I didn't know you could sing."

"I can't," she replied automatically, warily.

"Hunny-senpai is right, Kimiko, you shouldn't deny it," Tamaki spoke up, making her shift her attention to him. "You have a lovely voice."

Inwardly frowning, but knowing better than to argue, she nodded. "Thanks," she mumbled.

A sudden loud series of pops and explosions drew everyones attention to the sky to see the fireworks that were being set off in the distance.

"Guess that means it's a new year," Kyoya said.

The twins, Tamaki and Hunny cheered happily, Mori stood back and watched, Kyoya and Kimiko didn't move from their seats. That was until Kimiko was assaulted by the rowdy group of four. She was nearly knocked onto the floor when the ran over to give her her first hug of the New Year, the twins even dared to kiss her on both cheeks. This sent Tamaki into a rant about how to treat innocent ladies. Laughing and rolling her eyes, Kimiko had stood up and grabbed Tamaki. Jolting him to a halt before leaning up and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek before grinning at him as he turned bright red.

The twins appeared over her shoulders, eying her with sideways frowns. "What?" She asked innocently, ignoring Tamaki's joyful tirade.

"Nothing." They chorused.

"We're just wondering..." Kaoru began.

"Why Tono gets a kiss and we don't?" Hikaru finished.

Shrugging, Kimiko kissed each one on the cheek. "Happy now?"

They sighed dramatically. "I suppose."

Shaking her head, Kimiko ducked out of their arms and fell back into her seat. The next two hours were spent looking through the telescope with the twins, Hunny and Mori or with her leaning over Tamaki's shoulder, whispering in his ear in an attempt to help him beat Kyoya at chess. Much to their disappointment, they lost every time.

After having her pride stomped on enough after losing three rounds of chess, quickly, she might add, Kimiko plopped into a recliner with every intention of brooding like the sore loser she was. Instead fell asleep within minutes of sitting down on the plush chair.

When she woke up several hours later she was in her bed with the blankets pulled over her. With a yawn, she got up to put on her pajamas and sleep for a few more hours before getting back up to watch the first sun rise of the new year.

It was on the way back to bed when she noticed a vase had been put on one of her nightstands, the one on the same side of the bed she normally slept on. The vase was a clear cylinder lined at the bottom by a green leaf that hid the fact it was partially fully of water, inside the cylinder was a beautiful sprig of pink orchids. Though simple the arrangement was very beautiful.

Beside the vase was a card. A short message was written inside in neat script that Kimiko recognized immediately to be Kyoya's.

_'Happy New Year'_

She smiled and set the card aside thinking that maybe, just maybe liking Kyoya Ootori wasn't all that bad.

* * *

Aside from the surprise New Year's party she had ended up hosting, the break from school had been quite uneventful for and Kimiko was bored. She loathed boredom. The quiet and the fact that she had nothing to do had given her some time to think. Mainly about Kyoya Ootori and her growing attraction to the handsome shadow king of the Host Club. Thinking was one of the things that Kimiko was good at. Or bad at depending upon how you looked it. She had a tendency to think too much sometimes, to analyze simple things and make them far more complicated than they needed to be. There was also the fact that she was usually horrible at making decisions.

So it wasn't much of a surprise that after spending the entire day lying around staring up at the sky from a comfortable lounge chair by her glass enclosed pool that she hadn't really made any decisions. She had however, decided that Kyoya was right in believing that a relationship between the two of them could in fact prove quite beneficial. Not that she had ever really disagreed, but if she played her own cards right she could gain a lot from a closer friendship with him. It would also allow her to get to know the Ootori better and decide whether or not pursing a romantic relationship would be something that she was truly wise since she couldn't make herself believe otherwise no matter how much she tried.

She heard the steps quietly making their way towards her, but she ignored them and continued to stare blankly at the book she had been trying to read all morning. After staying up late the night before and getting up early to watch the sunrise, she was rather grumpy and her boredom didn't help to improve her mood.

"Kimiko-sama."

Glancing lazily over her shoulder at Haka and lowering the book in her hand, Kimiko replied with a bored, "What is it, Haka?"

"I thought that you might like to know that you received an invitation to dinner and I've already accepted for you."

Lifting a brow, Kimiko sat up and spun herself towards Haka. She rarely made a show of being a person in a powerful position, but she was bored and annoyed that she was bored. In short, her temper was easily aroused. "Care to tell me why you're making my decisions without first consulting me?"

"It's in your best interests to attend," Haka answered evenly.

"Oh? And just who was this invitation from?"

"Yoshio Ootori."

Kimiko blinked, her temper suddenly forgotten and her interest peaked. "Yoshio Ootori. As in the head of the Ootori family and the company of the same name?"

"That would be him," Haka answered in an almost mocking voice.

Ignoring Haka's rebuttal, Kimiko took a few moments to think over the news. "And the reason for the invitation? I thought most families spent time amongst themselves for the first few days of the new year."

"He says it's to welcome you formally to Japan and to apologize for not having done so sooner."

"Oh, please, he couldn't have done so sooner. Anyway, he's not so kind as to want to make amends with the heiress of a business that could threaten his own. He has another agenda. Not surprising, he is an Ootori, seems to be a family trait," Kimiko snorted. "When is this dinner?"

"Tomorrow night, he asks that you arrive early. He would like to speak with you privately before the dinner."

"His sons?"

"They will not be present at the meeting," Haka replied, seeing Kimiko frown he added, "I'll be with you the entire time."

Kimiko looked up, nodding and smiling thankfully. "Thank you. His sons, they will be present for dinner I assume?"

"Yes. All three will be present at dinner. His daughter as well, her husband is out of the country on business."

Letting out a long breath, Kimiko laid back down on the lounge chair. Laughing dryly, she said, "So I'm to be the center of attention. Interesting. I wonder which son he'd like to marry me off to," she mused thoughtfully.

"He has yet to officially say which son will inherit the family company, it's speculation at this point, but it's believed that it will be his first son."

"Of course. It's tradition that the company pass to the first born," Kimiko commented. "Then again," she continued airily. "I hear the third son is no slouch."

* * *

"The blue one," Kimiko said, gesturing to a shiny blue blouse that one of her maids was holding up for her. "And the wide legged black pants. There's a matching blazer, isn't there?"

"Yes, ma'am," the young woman replied obediently. "Would you like black for your shoes as well?"

Kimiko thought over her answer, taking the blue blouse from the maid and holding it up to her chest. "No," she answered slowly, thoughtfully. "Black is too plain. Conforming... The silver pumps with the blue lace overlay, I'll wear those. Have my platinum jewelry removed from the safe as well, I think I'd like to wear a few of the bangles, the ones with diamonds."

The maid nodded her understanding and gathered the items that Kimiko had mentioned so they would be easy for her to change into when she was ready.

"Are you ready to go? We'll be late for you appointment with the stylist if we don't go now," Haka announced striding into Kimiko's outer room just as she walked through her bedroom door.

"I know, I'm ready," she replied, picking up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder.

"It seems like you're going through a lot of trouble to prepare for a simple dinner," Haka said while they walked down the stairs.

"Simple? Nothing is ever simple when the Ootori family is involved. Besides, Yoshio wants to meet Kimiko Aratoshi, the heiress to the Aratoshi family business, so he will. And it's about time everyone else did too. I'm tired of this look anyway."

* * *

"Welcome to our home, Aratoshi-san," a thin, regal looking man greeted as Kimiko was led into an immaculately furnished and organized office.

She smiled winningly, bowing politely to her host her dark brown hair tumbling over her shoulder. "Thank you for the invitation, Ootori-san," she replied, smirking inwardly when she noticed the slight twitch of the man's brow behind his glasses. She had every intention of treating Yoshio as an equal, something that most likely irked the older, powerful man, but she didn't care. She would make sure that the Ootori head was aware of her status and that she was far from a powerless little girl.

She was sure Yoshio didn't think of her as powerless, but he probably did see her as weak. Her age and the fact that she could not yet claim her father's company for herself made her a good target. One that he could try to either conquer and subdue, which Kimiko was sure was his intention, or befriend. Yoshio wasn't the friendly type, he liked power and he liked accumulating as much of it as possible.

"Please have a seat," Yoshio offered, gesturing to a stiff looking chair in front of his polished oak desk.

Taking the offered seat, Kimiko arranged herself primly while Haka took up a position to her right.

'Let the games begin,' she thought to herself, smiling brightly as the head of the Ootori family positioned himself behind his large desk.

A half an hour later, Kimiko was glad that the private meeting was coming to an end, finally. It had been rather dull. Just a series of exchanges about Kimiko's knowledge of the Aratoshi business as well as her future plans for it once she became its head. Her answers had been short and she gave nothing away, hinting only that she hoped to expand the family business in Japan since it had been her father's wish to do so.

* * *

Knocking on the heavy wooden doors of his father's private home office, Kyoya checked his watch to see he was two minutes early. He had been told by one of the servants that his father had requested his presence at precisely 6:30pm, he knew that there was to be a dinner with a special guest, but he had no idea who that guest was or why his presence was being requested.

"Enter," he heard his father call from the depths of the large office that loomed behind the doors.

Stepping through the door, Kyoya ignored the man standing to the right of the young woman sitting in front of his father's desk. The man was likely just an attendant of some kind and so he wasn't interested in who the man was. It was the woman he was curious about. She seemed familiar some how, but he couldn't tell by just looking at the long dark hair that was such a deep shade of brown it was almost black.

"Good evening, Father," he greeted.

"Good evening, Kyoya. I believe you may already know our guest, Kimiko Aratoshi-san," his father nodded to the young woman who was now rising from her seat.

"We're acquainted," Kimiko replied, holding her small hand out slightly and bowing her head.

"Indeed we are," Kyoya agreed, taking Kimiko's hand while bowing politely and kissing the top of it. When he straightened his eyes roamed briefly over Kimiko, taking her in her darker hair color and noting that her eyes appeared to be blue instead of their usual green. She was quite striking.

"I have a few things to finish up before dinner, would you please entertain Aratoshi-san for the next half an hour and then show her to the dining room, Kyoya," Yoshio inquired, his voice kind, but Kimiko could hear the order beneath the tone.

"I'd be honored," Kyoya answered, voice as smooth as the finest marble. "My lady," he said, offering Kimiko his arm.

Taking the offered arm, careful not to wrinkle the black Armani suit jacket, Kimiko bowed her head to Yoshio and let Kyoya lead her from the room. Haka followed along behind them until they reached the hallway, where Kimiko saw that a black clad bodyguard was waiting. Nodding to Haka to show that she would be fine alone with Kyoya, she let Kyoya guide her down the hall.

"Seems that we're not the only ones to think a friendship between us would be beneficial," Kimiko stated, glancing at Kyoya. His face was unreadable.

"Of course not, the Aratoshi business could be quite useful to the Ootori group."

"Or harmful," Kimiko added, smiling innocently at Kyoya's lifted brow. "The business may not be as large as the Ootori group, but I don't intend for it to stay that way. I was hoping we could speak actually. Alone. I have a proposition for you. One I think you'll like."

* * *

~A/N~

Kimiko's up to something... Uh oh...

Thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and what not I greatly appreciate it.

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15 Slipping Away

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

**Chapter 15**

**Slipping Away**

"So this proposition you have for me," Kyoya began, his voice cool and even. Businesslike. "What does it entail?"

They were walking through an expansive garden with so many types of flowers and foliage that Kimiko had a hard time focusing on anything else. It was a good thing she had a hold of Kyoya's arm otherwise she might have gotten lost simply admiring all of the different species the garden was host to.

"Sorry, but your garden is quite impressive. I don't believe I've ever seen anything like it," Kimiko said appreciatively.

"My family strives for the best in all things. Many of the plants you see are imported and meticulously cared for. We possess the most diverse garden in Japan. Of course it changes with the seasons. Almost like you. I must say I didn't recognize you at first."

"It's to be expected, it wasn't a very subtle change."

"If you don't mind my asking why the change?" Kyoya asked curiously.

Sighing, Kimiko looked blankly over the gardens. "Have you ever seen pictures of my father, Kyoya?"

The dark haired boy nodded. "Yes, on several occasions. I've seen older pictures of you as well, you two resembled each other greatly when you were younger."

She lifted a brow suspiciously. "I'll refrain from asking why you've seen old pictures of me and continue with the point. You're right when you say I resembled my father and I resembled him more with every year that passed. It was difficult to see him when I looked in the mirror. His eyes, especially," she said murmur. Shaking her head she took a deep breath. "My mother apparently had a guilty conscious and it was by her doing that I lightened my hair and began wearing colored contacts. I didn't complain, not only because of what would happen if I did, but because I didn't want to see how much I looked like my father. It made me miss him and it made me feel guilty that I couldn't do anything to save him."

"It wasn't your fault and I don't think your father would have wanted you to blame yourself," Kyoya said.

Caught off guard by the comment, Kimiko glanced at Kyoya and managed a small smile. "It's very unlike you to say something so kind."

"Don't get used to it," he replied casually looking down at her. "Besides, I'm still waiting to hear about this proposition you have for me."

Kimiko couldn't help it, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So sorry to keep you waiting oh great Shadow King. I'll get on with it then. The proposition goes something like this: how would you like to start a business with me as your partner."

A dark brow raised in interest and Kyoya slowed his pace, now wanting to take his time on their walk through the garden. "I don't have the necessary funding to start a business."

"I know. I'll be providing all of the funding that we'll need and I'll have the backing of my own company."

"I see and the catch?" Kyoya asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"What is it you want in return?"

Kimiko smiled and chuckled lightly. "Just to see what happens."

* * *

"Kyoya, have I made myself clear? You're no longer to associate with Kimiko Aratoshi. Should I hear you're doing otherwise in any capacity that doesn't relate to school or business, I will not be pleased."

Kyoya nodded to his father. His father had given him a good deal of information, information that made several things make much more sense then they had before. "I understand, Father." He stated, frowning as he bowed to excuse himself from the room. He had to be at school in less than an hour and still hadn't eaten, though he wasn't sure he had much of an appetite now. "I don't suppose we know who the other party is?"

His father frowned openly. "No, this request came from the Aratoshi firm, but with the backing of a law firm in Tokyo. A law firm that only deals with the most elite clients. Us included."

"So it's likely that whoever is-"

"It doesn't matter, Kyoya, you are not to associate yourself with that girl outside of school. It would be troublesome and you have no reason to interest yourself in a female who is already spoken for."

Kyoya's hands clenched at his sides, but he nodded his understanding and when his father waved him away left the room with no protest. He hadn't known that Kimiko was engaged, he had known that someone had paid off her mother in order to cancel her previously arranged marriage and remove the vile woman from Kimiko's life, but that was it . The woman had made it quite clear to him that this was the case, but she had never said who had paid her off no matter how much he had pressed.

At the time it had seemed trivial, Kimiko was going to be freed of her mother and the abusive fiancé she despised. He saw no reason to pursue the issue, his goal had been much the same though his father had been displeased to learn that Kimiko's mother had turned down a marriage contract to one of his sons, himself actually. Which she hadn't, but Kyoya saw no reason to point that out to his father. Kimiko should be able to make her own decisions regarding who she spent her life with, it wasn't something that should have been decided for her and then kept secret from her.

Letting his fists relax, Kyoya silently resigned himself to do as his father had instructed and distance himself from Kimiko.

* * *

Kimiko yawned, covering her mouth with her hand while she walked down the ornate halls of Ouran. The New Year's break was over and school was back in session, but that hadn't kept her from staying up until nearly 2am looking over several different documents pertaining to new projects the Aratoshi firm would be undertaking. Projects that she was to be in charge of handling. Her uncle had been a bit leery of her taking charge of any projects on her own, but after a quick reminder that the business was hers and all transactions still needed to her approval even though she was not yet named the head of it, he had agreed.

Strolling into the classroom past the twins and Haruhi who were already at their seats, Kimiko sat down without a word and wasn't surprised when the twins slithered their way in front of her desk. They exchanged mischievous glances and inched closer to Kimiko. She ignored them and reached for her book.

"What's with the hair," Hikaru asked.

"And the eyes," Kaoru inquired.

"Why, is something wrong with my hair and eyes?"

"Well, no," they drawled.

"Then what's the problem," she asked, looking at them blandly.

Blinking, the twins seemed to catch on to the fact that Kimiko was not in a good mood. Exchanging another glance the two boys shrugged and returned to their seats. It was no fun to harass her when she was in a bad mood and wasn't going to play along with their games.

Kimiko had kept to herself throughout class and even during lunch. Her mood seemed to be growing fowler by the hour and the rings around her eyes darkened. By the time class had ended, she seriously thought of just skipping Host Club duty and going home, but she knew better than to think Kyoya would understand. Dragging herself to the music room, Kimiko grunted her greeting and went straight to the pantry to make herself a strong cup of coffee.

When Kyoya appeared in the door, she barely glanced at him while stirring cream into her coffee.

"You look tired." He observed, pouring himself a cup of hot water and picking a green tea bag up from a box on the counter.

"I was up until two preparing some important documents," she replied coolly, trying her best to keep the edge out of her voice. "Speaking of which," she paused to reach into her bag, pulling out a manila envelope that she set on the table and slid towards Kyoya. "Those are for you."

Eying the envelope, Kyoya picked it up and slipped it into his black notebook. "Thank you. I'll look them over and get them back to you by the weekend."

Kimiko nodded, her brows drawing together. Not once had Kyoya looked at her and his tone seemed almost uncaring and cold. "I'll need the documents by Sunday and if you have any questions you can ask them on Saturday. I'm assuming we're still on for dinner?"

"..I had forgotten. I'm afraid I've made other plans, perhaps another time?" He asked, smiling falsely at Kimiko whose brows only furrowed further

"Sure," she answered, looking down at her coffee and hoping she didn't look as disappointed and confused as she felt.

"Good, I'll let you finish your coffee in peace. Don't forget that today is a themed day. You have a yukata that the twins' mom prepared for you in the changing room."

After finishing her coffee, Kimiko made her way to the changing room feeling a little more energized by the caffeine that was surging through her body. She still couldn't stifle the yawn that caused her to lift a dainty hand and cover her mouth and her eyes to crinkle. Lost in thought as she walked towards the changing room, she never noticed the blond haired boy bouncing towards her until she heard her name being called.

"Kimi-chan!"

Kimiko yelped in surprise when two arms wrapped around her neck and she was thrown off balance. She wasn't surprised when Mori caught her and righted her, she smiled weakly and mumbled her thanks.

"You look very nice, Kimi-chan, but why did you dye your hair? And I thought your eyes were green," Hunny chirped, hopping around her and studying her new look.

"This is actually my natural hair color, well as close to it as I can get with dye and my eyes are blue. I was wearing contacts before."

"Why?"

Kimiko looked away warily, her eyes landing on Kyoya who was busily typing away on is laptop. "No real reason," she answered tiredly, removing her eyes from Kyoya to stare at the ground.

"Hm?" Hunny blinked curiously at Kimiko and then to Takashi who shook his head once, signaling it was better not to ask any more questions. "Well," he sang, smiling brightly. "We should get changed, the guests will be here soon!"

Kimiko nodded and was about to turn into the changing room when something occurred to her. Turning around, she reached out for Mori's sleeve before he could follow after Hunny. When Mori stopped and looked back at her, she released his sleeve quickly and looked away. "I wanted to apologize for the other day. I never really had the chance and I'm sorry for how I acted in the pantry. I'm just really very sensitive about my back and I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone."

"What happened?" Mori asked.

Eyes widening slightly Kimiko looked down at the ground, she hadn't expected Mori to ask her what had happened again. It almost seemed out of character for him, but then she realized that he was probably just concerned about her and his question wasn't mean to be intrusive, but to make sure she wasn't in harms way.

"It happened a long time ago and it's a long story," she said, smiling wanly up at him. When he frowned at her, she offered, "I'm fine. I promise. It's just an old scar."

Mori nodded, ruffled her hair and then went in search of Hunny.

Sighing, Kimiko adjusted her bag and feeling eyes on her glanced over to Kyoya. Their eyes met for a moment before Kyoya looked away disinterestedly.

Sighing, she made her way into the changing room, squealing when her wrist was grabbed and she was flung into a chair. The twins were suddenly fussing over her hair and makeup, complaining about the bags under her eyes and the blood shot orbs themselves. They were also muttering that they weren't sure the yukata that had been prepared for her would suit her new look. Ignoring them, she let them do her hair and makeup before pushing her behind a changing curtain so that she could change into the waiting yukata.

The yukata was very pretty. It was a plum color with cherry blossoms and hydrangea flowers adorning it, simple and classic while still being elegant. It did clash slightly with the blue of her eyes, but she doubted that many of the girl would notice since it wasn't her they were there to see.

* * *

Kimiko yawned for the hundredth time in ten minutes, she wandered over to the pantry to get some more coffee and take a short break since no one needed anything at the moment and she badly wanted to sit down. It was while she was sipping at her second cup of coffee that Tamaki popped his head in the door singing her name as he entered the room.

"You look tired, is everything alright?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I was just up late."

"I hear you had dinner with the Ootori family over the holiday break."

"I did. It was... interesting," Kimiko replied with a slight chuckle. Tamaki was growing on her, when he wasn't being completely insane, he was actually a very good guy and Kimiko enjoyed his company. She could see why everyone else in the club stuck close to him and were loyal to him, he just had a way about him that made everyone around him want to follow him.

Tamaki chuckled too. "I'm sure it was. Kyoya treated you well, I hope?" He asked curiously.

Kimiko glanced at the blond and his smile that suggested he knew something she didn't. "I wasn't really there to see Kyoya, but I suppose during what time we spent together he treated me well... Is something bothering, Kyoya? He seems distant today. More so than usual."

"Hm? I did notice Kyoya was being quieter than usual, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. He gets that way when he's tired sometimes."

"Oh," was her only half hearted response.

Tamaki blinked at Kimiko, he saw her twisting her hands together unconsciously while staring blankly at the table she sat at. "You really do like him, don't you?"

She jolted and with wide eyes looked up at Tamaki.

"It's alright, I won't tell." He chuckled.

Kimiko shook her head. "I don't think it would matter if you did, everyone already knows and I'm sure Kyoya does as well. Somehow I don't think he returns the sentiments."

"Kimiko..."

"It's alright, Tamaki. It's probably better this way anyway."

* * *

When the weekend rolled around, Kimiko was glad to go home and spend time on her own. Kyoya's attitude towards her had not changed. He was distant and indifferent to her and it was beginning to wear on her. His change in attitude towards her bothered her, especially since there seemed to be no real reason for it. She was adjusting though, she didn't see what choice she had. In some ways she was glad things had happened the way they had, like she had told Tamaki it was probably for the better. At least now she could get over her silly crush on him.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

Kimiko sat in the pantry alone, sipping at a cup of coffee while reading over a History assignment she was having some trouble understanding. The weekend had come and gone and she was in slightly better spirits than she had been the week before. She didn't see the point in sulking and feeling sorry for herself because of a boy, she had more important things to worry about. Like her education and the business she was going to run.

Sudden cries and shouts drew her attention to the door to the main room, glancing at the clock she saw that it was past the time for the guests to have gone home for the day. Curious, she made her way outside to see a red headed girl she had never laid on eyes before thrusting a finger at Tamaki while proclaiming him to be fake, too ordinary, useless and a narcissist.

Kimiko couldn't deny the last one, but that didn't make her any less annoyed with the girl for insulting Tamaki. He was a good guy, a bit too enthusiastic at times, but he had a good heart and was always there whenever needed.

"Excuse me," Kimiko cut in, her hands folded across her chest and a brow raised as she stared at the red head with disdain. "But who are you and what gives you the right to come in here and insult a member of our club?"

"Our club, she said our club," Tamaki sniffled happily from his corner of despair that he had thrown himself into after the insults had ended.

"I've never seen you before so I'm assuming you're new here," Kimiko continued before the stubborn looking girl could say anything. "You're not making a very good impression by-"

"It's alright, Kimiko," Kyoya cut in. "I'm sure she meant no harm. Tamaki does have a habit of getting carried away with himself as I'm sure you would agree."

"But that doesn't-"

"Kyoya-sama!" The red head cried, flinging herself at Kyoya and clutching onto him for dear life. "I wanted to see you so badly, my only prince. Your loving fiancé has arrived!"

Blinking, she cocked her head and tried to rationalize the situation because there was just no way in her mind that the annoyingly loud girl could be Kyoya's fiancée. However, Kyoya wasn't denying anything and for some reason that combined with his recent treatment of her highly irritated her.

"I'm going home," she grumbled, spinning on her heel and heading for the changing room.

"Kimiko, before you go would you mind getting us some tea," Kyoya called.

She twitched."Yes, I would mind. I'm not your servant, Kyoya. I'm tired and since official club activities have ended, I'm going home. Have your little fiancé do it. I'm sure the spoiled princess can manage."

Was that bitterness in her voice? Was she really that upset that some loud, obnoxious girl had pounced into the room and declared herself to be Kyoya's fiancé? Kyoya, the same guy who had been treating her with indifference for over a week and who hadn't looked at her, really looked at her in the same amount of time. She shook her head telling herself it was just lack of sleep that was making her a bit more grouchy than usual and that it had nothing to do with the girl or Kyoya's treatment of her.

"How dare you speak to Kyoya-sama like that," the red head cried, thrusting a finger at Kimiko while her other hand placed itself on her hop and she tried to look threatening. "He's the manager of this club isn't he? You should do as he asks so you don't make him look bad!"

Kimiko turned her head and merely tilted a brow at the girl. She was in no mood for drama, there was already enough of that in her life.

"You should apologize to Kyoya-sama! He doesn't deserve to be treated like that when he's only ever kind and giving!" The girl proclaimed.

She couldn't help it and despite her attempt to hold in the arrogant laugh, Kimiko couldn't and wound up laughing openly. "Kyoya, kind? Giving? Yeah, right." She snorted.

"Would you excuse me for a moment, Renge," Kyoya cut in before the red head could verbally assault Kimiko who was still laughing as she made her way to the dressing room.

"But she can't treat you like that! As your fiancé I won't allow it," the girl declared.

Kimiko twitched, her laughter dying out as a scowl made its way to her face. "There's no way he would be engaged to a girl that annoying," she muttered a bit louder than she had meant to.

"Ah ha! So you're just jealous that Kyoya-sama is all mine, aren't you?"

Kimiko twitched again and turned around. "Excuse me?" She suddenly found herself quite angry, why she wasn't really sure, she just knew she was. "Me jealous, of you? Are you joking?"

"Pardon me for a moment," Kyoya said, slipping away from the red head to walk towards Kimiko. "A word please, Kimiko?" He asked politely.

Huffing, she indignantly made her way into the changing room and ignored Kyoya as she stepped behind the changing curtain to put her uniform back on. She would have been happy to ignore him entirely, but when she heard the changing room curtain flutter after a few moments, she whirled around, her eyes wide as Kyoya approached her.

"What do you think you're doing," she asked sharply, she had slipped out of the yukata and had pulled her skirt on and was just about to button up her shirt over a thin camisole.

"That was quite the show out there. Mind telling me what's on your mind, Kimiko?" Kyoya inquired.

"Nothing. Now get out."

"You're angry."

"Really," she replied sarcastically.

"Yes, why?"

"Why am I angry?" Gritting her teeth, she took a step back, her eyes narrowing when Kyoya advanced on her. "For starters my anger could have something to do with the fact you're invading my personal bubble."

"Is that all?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I suppose it could have something to do with the fact that this is the first time you've really bothered to look at me in a week. Or it could be the indifference you've displayed toward me."

There was a brief silence and Kimiko thought she could see something flicker in Kyoya's smoky eyes. It was gone long before she could identify it.

"Are you sure you're not jealous," he asked, smirking when Kimiko's face brightened and her jaw clenched.

He had her against the wall now and placed his hands on either side of her head, leaning closely to her.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Foolishness," he replied.

Kimiko stiffened, her face growing even redder when she realized that her mumbled response to the very same question Kyoya had asked her a few days before had been heard.

"If you were jealous," he leaned closer to her, his mouth near her ear. "Then perhaps you should do something about it."

For some reason she found the reply highly irritating, it may have been the same thing she had told him, but for some reason the way he said it and the way he was smirking at her made her want to scream. She felt like he was taunting her, trying to get a reaction out of her, which he likely was, but she wasn't sure what type of reaction he expected. A part of her felt that he was trying to make her angry, purposely pushing her buttons, why, she didn't know.

"If you were jealous, Kimiko, just say so."

Her jaw clenched and she stared coldly at the Ootori leaning over her. "What difference does it make if I was jealous or not, Kyoya?"

Kyoya shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't make a difference to me either way. There's nothing for me to gain from your jealousy. Unless of course you'd like to come up with a new way to pay off your debt?" He paused, leaning ever closer to Kimiko whose face was red despite the scowl she wore. Laying a hand on Kimiko's cheek, he put his mouth near her ear. "You could always use your body to pay off your debt."

Without really thinking about the fact that her shirt was only half buttoned, she pushed roughly past Kyoya and grabbed her bag before stalking from the room. Tamaki tried to get her attention, but she ignored him and glided through the music room leaving everyone staring after her uncertainly. None of them had ever seen her as angry and upset as she so obviously was. Her face was red and she looked torn between crying and screaming like a mad woman.

Everyone glanced at Kyoya when he exited the changing room, but no one dared to ask what had happened. Instead everyone ended up focused on the red headed girl that once again flung herself at the black haired teen.

After a few moments when Renge had left and the club room was empty except for himself and Kyoya, Tamaki sidled up to his best friend and casually asked, "Is Kimiko alright? She seemed upset, did something happen between you two?"

"It's really none of your business, Tamaki," Kyoya replied blandly, not taking his eyes from his laptop as he typed speedily away.

Tamaki sighed and shook his head, leaning up against the wall and staring out the window. "You're quite stubborn, you know that?"

"I'm not sure I follow. Or care what you think for that matter."

"You like her, don't you? Kimiko?" Tamaki asked, glancing at his friend's face for a sign of agreement, but there was none.

Kyoya's face remained impassive almost to the point he looked angry. "You're delusional, as usual."

"Am I? I don't think so. I think I'm right and I think you know it. So it makes me wonder if you like her then why did you upset her just now?"

"Who says it was me that upset her?"

Tamaki smiled knowingly and clapped Kyoya on the shoulder. "Partly because you've been moody all week and because you keep looking at the door and frowning. It's not like you to be worried about someone else, especially someone you've been so distant towards all week, but you are aren't you?"

His dark eyes widened for a split second and his cheeks colored so briefly that Tamaki almost thought he'd imagined it. "I'm not worried, I just have a lot of work to do and would like you to stop pestering me."

"If you say so, Kyoya, but I really think you should just tell her. You're not the type that gives up something you want, it surprises me that you'd risk letting her slip away." Tamaki was staring out the window again watching two distant figures as they stood side by side, staring up into a tree.

"Mind your own business, Tamaki," Kyoya stated coldly. "You don't know anything about what I want."

"Then what do you want, Kyoya?" Tamaki removed himself from the wall and stepped towards his friend, finally getting the gray eyed boy's attention. "Because if it is Kimiko then you had better figure that out before she's no longer within your reach." He inclined his head toward the window and the two distant figures.

"She's already out of my reach."

Tamaki was confused by the mumbled statement, but that didn't stop him from smiling brightly. "You always strive for things that others would tell you is out of your reach, Kyoya. So why is that stopping you now?"

* * *

After leaving the club room, Kimiko made her way to the nearest girl's restroom and locked herself in one of the private stalls. She adjusted her clothing and gave herself a few minutes to pull herself together. She was so angry she wanted to scream and punch something, the idea of going home and working out sounded extremely appealing. So did practicing with her bow, the required amount of concentration involved and the precise movements always helped to calm her nerves whenever she was feeling upset. When she was done making herself look presentable and she was certain she wasn't going to cry or scream for no reason, she took her time to gather her things. Slowly making her way out of the building, she phoned Haka to inform him she was ready to go home.

It was as she walked through the main courtyard that she noticed someone standing beneath the trees that grew near the dojo. It took her a moment to realize that it was Mori, he had twigs in his hair and his uniform was dirty.

Curious, she made her way over to him and was confused by the hisses and growls coming from high within the branches of the tree that Mori was staring intently up at. Upon closer inspection she could see a little gray kitten huddled against the tree trunk, it was streaked with mud and dirt, its fur matted against its tiny body. She also noticed the way its right paw was held up and how the kitten tried to move without using it.

"Oh, no," Kimiko said, stepping up beside Mori and looking worriedly at the kitten that was hissing and growling down at them.

"I just found her, but I don't know how to get her down. I tried to climb up, but the branches won't support me."

Glancing at the tree, Kimiko took several moments to study it and then turned to Mori, dropping her things and demanding, "Help me up."

He blinked at her.

"I can't reach the lowest branch without your help and if we want to get her down, I need to get into that tree."

"The branches aren't very sturdy."

"Then you'll just have to catch me if I fall now won't you?" She said with a smile. "Besides, I'm lighter I should be able to get up there."

"You're wearing a skirt," he pointed out.

"I'm also wearing shorts underneath."

He frowned, but with a glance up into the tree made up his mind. "Be careful," Mori said, kneeling and offering his hands to help lift her into the tree.

He was easily able to lift her onto the lowest branch of the tree and watched her as she slowly stood, using the tree trunk and another branch for support. The tree wasn't very tall and she could easily reach the kitten, but the frightened creature was desperately trying to climb higher despite its injured paw. Shushing the kitten and assuring it she meant no harm in a quiet voice, Kimiko managed to get the poor thing to calm down. It took several minutes of reassurances and tentative strokes to the kitten's fur before she could get the poor creature into her arms.

Using one hand to steady herself, she slowly began lowering herself back down onto the branch she stood upon. She sucked in a breath when she slipped and not only did the kitten dig its very sharp claws into her, but several splinters from the tree buried themselves in her hand.

"Kimiko," Mori said worriedly.

"I'm alright, it's just a few splinters," she answered, keeping her hold on the branch that was swaying a bit too much for her liking.

She felt it before she heard it, the branch she had finally sat back down giving out underneath the prolonged stress of her added weight. Wanting to protect the kitten, she wrapped her arms around her and cradled her to her chest.

"Kimiko!"

She heard Mori's shout, felt her head collide with something rough as it smashed into another branch and felt strong arms wrap around her but everything went dark after that.

"Kimiko!"

* * *

Groaning and lifting a hand to her aching head, Kimiko groggily blinked her eyelids open. It took a few moments for everything to come into focus and when it did, she frowned. None of the surroundings were familiar to her and from what she could tell she was in a very traditional styled Japanese home.

"You're awake."

Turning her head, she grimaced as the movement made her entire head feel like it was going to explode. When her vision cleared again, she was staring at Mori's concerned face. "What happened?"

"You hit your head falling out of the tree," Mori answered.

Her eyes widened and she tried to sit up, cringing when the sudden movement made her head spin and lying back down. "The kitten," she said. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Kimi-chan," another voice answered before Hunny's grinning visage popped into view over Mori's shoulder. "We took her to a doctor and she's all cleaned up. Her paw is only sprained, but it's bandaged and should be good as new in no time."

"Well, that's good," Kimiko replied, smiling. "I don't suppose I could see her?"

"She's right next to you, Kimi-chan." Hunny pointed to a blanket on the bed beside her, curled up in it and nestled next to her side was the little gray kitten, sleeping soundly.

"Do you like cats," Mori asked, noticing the big almost childlike smile on Kimiko's face.

Kimiko nodded and stroked the kitten's nose, it batted sleepily at her hand and meowed. "Yes, I've always wanted one, but my mom wouldn't allow it."

"She doesn't have a home," Mori stated, gently scratching at the kitten's fluffy head. "You could always take her home with you."

Kimiko's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Mori nodded. "Are you sure though, you're the one that found her and all..."

"I'm sure, besides I think she likes you."

"Oh, yeah, where am I anyway," Kimiko inquired, chuckling at herself for having not asked the question sooner.

"This is Takashi's house," Hunny answered. "He didn't know what to do after you fell and hit your head, the nurse at the school had already left. So he called his family's doctor and brought you here."

"Thank you very much." Kimiko bowed her aching head thankfully.

"It was no problem," Mori replied, his familiar monotone voice making Kimiko smile and then laugh as he ruffled her hair.

* * *

By the time the weekend rolled around, Kimiko had barely spoken to Kyoya whose attitude towards her and almost everyone else remained distant. It was making the Host Club a rather interesting place to be, especially since Kimiko refused to help or do anything for Kyoya at all. There was also the fact that she was basically refusing to acknowledge he existed what so ever most of the time.

She began showing up late for the Host Club, instead going and watching the kendo practices in the dojo. Mostly she watched on her own, but on some days Hunny joined her and they would wait together for Mori to finish before going to the Club. Since she no longer considered herself Kyoya's assistant, she had invited Katashi to visit her everyday and spent much of her time with the senior in the window seat of the south window. If he was unable to join her, she would do her duties as a maid of sorts and then join Hunny and Mori.

Mori was concerned for the kitten that Kimiko had named Sora and the two would talk about the kitten whenever they could. Kimiko had also asked him for help with her history work since it was his strongest subject and her weakest. She liked the subject, but Japanese history was only taught sparingly in the school she had attended in the States as part of a World History course.

By now it had of course become apparent that the red headed female that had proclaimed to be Kyoya's fiancé was Renge Hoshikuji and she was not his fiancé, just an otaku obsessed with a character in a dating simulation game that resembled him. She had begun following Kyoya around and calling herself the Host Club's lady manager, something Kimiko found highly irritating, especially since the girl had a habit of being much too loud for her liking.

She was also always proclaiming that none of the Host's personalities were right and had taken it upon herself to fix the problems with each one of them. Apparently this meant that a film crew from Hollywood was sent out to make a movie starring all of the Host Club. Kimiko refused to participate. At one point, however, Renge had tried to approach Kimiko saying that she would best be portrayed as the lonely, shy and quiet bookworm that got tricked into being the slave to the schools most attractive boys. Kimiko had merely tilted a brow and said nothing. When Renge persisted, Kyoya had wisely cut in and led her away before Kimiko could say anything that might possibly scar the innocent girl's ears. On several occasions, Kimiko had found herself about to pounce on the obnoxious girl who was constantly praising Kyoya while putting down everyone else and making Tamaki cry on a daily basis.

Kimiko was glad that the weekend was almost upon them and that she wouldn't have to deal with any of the drama for two days and then she would just skip going to the Host Club altogether, Katashi had invited her to join the Book Club and she figured that with how much she liked to read that the Book Club would actually be quite entertaining. Deciding to also skip out on the Host Club for the afternoon, Kimiko made her way towards the front of the school with every intention of going home.

She paused in her walk however upon hearing the sound of broken glass clattering against concrete. Glancing around the corner of the building, she saw Kyoya with a rock in his hand standing in front of one of the camera's of Renge's Hollywood film crew. Unsure of just what was going on, Kimiko walked closer.

"You've caused enough trouble and I think we'd all appreciate it if you stopped," Kyoya said, his eyes on the red headed Renge who looked about to cry.

"B-but you're supposed to pat me on the head and say that everything is alright. You're supposed to comfort me," the girl sniffled.

"That's not the real Kyoya," Kimiko spoke up, drawing the attention of not only the film crew, but the Host Club. "The real Kyoya is far less kind," she said, her blue eyes on Kyoya as she spoke. They locked eyes for a moment and Kimiko thought that once again something had flickered in the gray orbs, something like guilt, but it was gone before she could be certain it was even there. "Excuse me, I'm going home. See everyone next week. Oh and before I forget to mention it, I'm no longer going to be an official member of the Host Club at the beginning of the week. I'll be joining the Book Club instead."

"Are you okay with this, Kyoya? Letting Kimiko leave like that," Tamaki asked.

"It's her decision to make, Tamaki, not mine."

Tamaki sighed and scratched sadly at his neck. "I really would have thought you would have tried harder. I guess I was wrong."

"I don't know what you're rambling about, but can you do it somewhere else. I have a headache."

"You're really going to let her go," Tamaki asked again.

"What choice do I have, Tamaki? I can't change her mind if she's already made a decision," Kyoya answered tiredly.

"You know what they say, don't you? Where there's a will, there's a way! I think if anyone can find a way, Kyoya, it's you."

"A will," Kyoya murmured to himself, his face becoming thoughtful.

"Kyoya?" Tamaki inquired, concerned by his friend's sudden disappearance into lala land.

"Hm? Oh, yes, you were rambling, sorry," Kyoya replied disinterestedly. "I'm going home now, you're going to have to ramble to someone else. Oh, and make sure this mess gets cleaned up would you?"

Tamaki gaped at Kyoya's departing back for a moment before chuckling to himself. "Well at least he seems to be feeling better, I was getting a bit tired of his brooding." His face pulled into a dramatic pout. "Mommy's scary and scolds Daddy a lot when he's in a bad mood..."

* * *

~A/N~

I wrote and re-wrote this chapter so many freaking times that I can't even remember anymore. Anyways, I gave away a lot more than I had originally intended in this chapter and I had wanted some of the events to happen at different times and in later chapters, but I think it works this way. Hopefully everyone liked it and it was too long or boring.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, faved or added this story to their alerts list you are all the bestest!

Please review! I don't get a lot of feedback on this story and would really like to hear everyone's opinions, so review and tell me, k? ;)


	16. Chapter 16 Making Amends

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 16**

**Making Amends**

Kimiko glanced around her with a clenched jaw and her eyebrow twitching occasionally. Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention to Ouran Academy's well known and respected choir instructor who would sometimes take on a single student to coach. In this instance that student would be her. Not only had she joined the Book Club when she had left the Host Club nearly two months before, but she had also began taking private voice lessons.

It was really just something to do to pass the time, besides singing was relaxing and it gave her yet another way to avoid thinking about anything having to do with Kyoya Ootori. It was becoming easier with everyday that passed, but the daily delivery of orchids that had started the day after she had left the Host Club made it difficult to forget about him altogether and she needed as much distraction as she could get.

Despite having left the Host Club, she still spent as much time as she could with everyone except Kyoya of course. They were still her friends after all and she had no intention of stopping being their friend just because she didn't want anything to do with Kyoya. Her weekends were spent with the twins, Mori and Hunny, Tamaki and even Haruhi who was fast becoming a very good friend to Kimiko. They spent Sunday mornings together, Kimiko bringing books for Haruhi in exchange for some help in cooking more traditional Japanese meals and with studying since she was still used to doing everything in English.

"Why are we out here in the garden?" Kimiko asked the older woman that was in charge of the choir department in a clipped, annoyed tone.

"W-well, you see," the older woman who was barely taller than her smiled nervously in the face of Kimiko's obvious ire. "I received a request for you to perform today. I didn't think you'd mind, it's just like practice and all..."

"Who was the request from?"

"Kyoya Ootori of the Host Club."

"No way in hell am I doing anything for that jerk," Kimiko snapped, spinning on her heel and stalking back towards the school building.

"Ah, Kimiko, you're here. Right on time too."

"Screw you," Kimiko muttered bitterly, walking past the tall, black haired boy that had appeared to her right.

"I was already turned down," Kyoya replied jokingly.

Hands twitching at her sides, she pivoted on her heel and raised a hand in the air with every intention of slapping the Ootori as hard as she could. Her hand never reached his skin, it was caught in the air a few inches away. Eyes narrowing, Kimiko regarded Kyoya's smirk with pure, undiluted anger. Ripping her hand from his, she gave him a look that would have turned even a stone statue to ice and turned her back on him.

"I've already paid for your services today, I'm afraid you have no choice, but to perform," Kyoya said after her.

She stopped and coldly glanced over her shoulder. "Excuse me?"

"Did Ms. Takimora not tell you?" Kyoya asked casually, adjusting his glass as the older woman came into view from the same path Kimiko had walked with her moments before.

The gray haired woman stopped abruptly when she saw that not only were Kimiko's frightening eyes on her, but so were Kyoya's. Though his were less frightening and more devilish.

"You were paid for me to come here," Kimiko inquired, trying to keep the sharp edge out of her voice since she was speaking to an elder and a teacher that deserved her respect.

"Um... Well... You see... We were in desperate need of a new piano and the Host Club offered to donate one if you sang for the Host Club today. I'm terribly sorry," Ms. Takimora said in a rush, bowing to Kimiko.

"I'll give you the piano at the house. I don't play so there's no reason to keep it, but I'm not singing for him," Kimiko hissed, gesturing at Kyoya.

"Well..."

Kimiko sighed and her shoulders slumped. "You've already been given the piano, haven't you?"

Ms. Takimora nodded, her bun bobbing on her head.

"I'll pay for the piano," Kimiko stated with finality as she cast one last glance at Kyoya before once again beginning to walk towards the school building. "If you can get me the figure by the end of the day I'll have the money to you by tomorrow morning."

Kyoya said nothing as he watched Kimiko walk away.

"I'm very sorry, Ootori-san, I didn't think she would react so harshly," Ms. Takimora said, still a bit shocked by Kimiko's behavior.

"It's nothing to worry about," Kyoya replied, pushing his glasses up his nose and smiling slyly. "It was expected. Thank you for your help, Ms. Takimora. Please excuse me I have a few things to take care of before the guests arrive."

* * *

"What do you two want?" Kimiko asked unable to hide her annoyance when Hikaru and Kaoru appeared on either side of her and slung their arms over her shoulders.

"Nothing," the two chirped together, grinning like devils.

"I doubt that," grumbled Kimiko grumpily.

"Hey, Kimiko?" Kaoru asked, his voice oddly serious which earned him Kimiko's undivided attention. "We want you to come back to the Host Club. We don't know what happened between you and Kyoya-senpai and we know you're angry, but.. We miss you."

"We hang out every weekend," Kimiko pointed out a bit uncertainly.

Kaoru shook his head and frowned. "It's not the same though. Without you around the Host Club seems boring and Kyoya-senpai hasn't really talked to anyone since you left. I don't know what's going on, but I really think you should talk to him."

"No."

"You're so stubborn," Hikaru sighed, shaking his head. "Who said we were going to give you a choice?"

"Huh?" Kimiko hadn't noticed that while they had walked they had somehow managed to lead her to a secluded corner of the garden.

They were walking between a row of cherry blossom trees that lined the path and led to a white gazebo. There were colorful orchids lacing the beams of the gazebo and giving off a scent that mingled nicely with the delicate cherry blossoms that were blooming around them. In the center of the gazebo was a table, it was covered with a white table cloth and set for two people with shiny crystal glasses and hand painted china.

"What's all this," asked Kimiko, glancing from the gazebo they were approaching to the two twins on either side of her.

"You don't have to make up with him, but at least talk to him, ok?" Kaoru suggested, confusing her when he gave her a smile that seemed far from real. "He's really not been the same since you've been gone."

"Talk to who?" Kimiko asked even though she already had an idea and could feel herself growing angry.

"Me."

Kimiko looked up and saw Kyoya standing in the gazebo, smiling down at them. Her eyes instantly narrowed and she jerked out of the twins' grasp.

"Wait, Kimiko," Kaoru called after her as she spun around to leave. He grabbed a hold of her hand and smiled when she glared at him. "Just hear him out, ok? I know you're mad, but he did all this on his own for you and I know you really like Kyoya-senpai so why not give him a chance to fix whatever he did? Believe it or not I think he cares about you too."

"Kaoru," Kimiko said, blinking at the red headed boy. "What's gotten into you?"

Kaoru chuckled, blushing as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Nothing," he giggled. "I just.. We all really care about you and want to see you happy. Preferably while helping manage the Host Club, right Hikaru?"

"Right," Hikaru answered, nodding his head enthusiastically while slinging an arm around Kaoru. "It's been no fun without our favorite toy around."

"Why not give me a chance to make amends, Kimiko," Kyoya suggested. He had descended the few steps leading into the gazebo and stood behind the twins that were in front of her. He smiled at her, a real smile that softened his eyes and brightened his already handsome face.

She shook her head and looked down to the ground. "I can't just forget what you said to me. The meaning of those words was unmistakable, Kyoya. If you had cared at all about me then they wouldn't have come out of your mouth. Excuse me."

"Let her go," Kyoya said to the twins when they moved to try and stop Kimiko from leaving. "The guests will be arriving in a little while, we should head back." His face was blank, emotionless as he turned away from the twins and walked alone into the garden.

* * *

_~About a month later~_

Kimiko blinked at the Hitachin twins as the two red headed mischievous boys slammed the doors open to the small room the Book Club used as their club room. She was standing over Katashi, reading a passage from a book over his shoulder since she had forgotten her own in her haste to get to school that morning. When the twins began to saunter towards her, she straightened, eying them mistrustfully.

"What do you two want?" She asked suspiciously.

They grinned like Cheshire cats and Kimiko felt herself become rather nervous. She took a few steps back when the twins continued to advance on her.

"You're coming with us," they chirped devilishly.

"I am not," she replied. "Besides, club activities aren't done for another hour."

"You promised to spend the day with us, remember?" Hikaru asked.

"Of course, but you're supposed to be picking me up after school" Kimiko replied.

"Technically it is after school," Kaoru pointed out.

"I don't know what you two are up to, but can it wait like ten minutes?"

The twins' grins widened. "Mori-senpai," they sang together, stepping apart and motioning towards Kimiko.

"Target sighted," said Hikaru.

"Don't let her escape," Kaoru stated.

"Huh?" Was all Kimiko managed to get out before squealing in shock when Mori suddenly raced into the room and hefted her onto his shoulder before turning and sprinting away with her.

The members of the Book Club, twenty three total, could only gape in confusion after their kidnapped member. Even Katashi who had grown somewhat familiar with the Host Club's crazy antics while visiting Kimiko wasn't quite sure what had just happened.

* * *

"Good job, Takashi!" Hunny cheered happily, patting his much taller cousin on the head.

Kimiko could only blink at the two of them in confusion. "W-what just happened?"

Hunny beamed from the other side of the car that she had been rather unceremoniously tossed into. "We're going to an amusement park!"

She blinked again. "Right... I was a little busy..."

Pouting, Hunny sniffled and clutched onto his Usa-chan. "Kimi-chan has been busy with school lately and we haven't gotten to see you much. We thought you could use a day off to relax and play with us. We miss you."

Kimiko looked away and stared out the window of the moving vehicle. It had been three months since she had left the Host Club and nearly one month since she had made much effort to see anyone from the club. Seeing Hunny upset made her feel bad. It hadn't been her intention to abandon the club or the friends she had gained from it, but she had been really busy with school work and trying to finalize plans to officially open the doors on the business she and Kyoya had collaborated on. The collaboration hadn't been an easy one, Kimiko did most of the talking through Haka, refusing to meet Kyoya in person. If she did have to see Kyoya, she treated him with much the same indifference that he had shown her.

After his attempt at making amends the month before their meetings had changed. Kyoya was more reserved, quiet and less like himself. Bouquets of flowers were still showing up on an almost daily basis at her house or in the classroom, much to her embarrassment. Part of her was beginning to feel that perhaps she should give him a chance to make amends for what he had said. She had the feeling that he had his reasons for saying it, for pushing her away and trying to make her hate him. Yet she just couldn't bring herself to give him the chance to explain himself.

"A day off to play sounds great," Kimiko said, smiling at Hunny. "I could definitely use it."

"Yay!" Hunny cheered, throwing his arms around Kimiko's neck who laughed as she fell back onto the seat.

"Out of curiosity will Kyoya be there?" She asked.

"Yes, it's actually Kyo-chan's family's water park that we're going to," Hunny answered, hopping back to his own seat.

"Ah... I see." The idea of a water park was much more upsetting to her than the idea that Kyoya was going to be there and she couldn't help the uncertain frown that pulled down her lips as she stared out the car window.

"Don't worry so much," Mori spoke up, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "You don't have to go in the water."

"And you don't have to talk to Kyo-chan if you don't want, but you should still try to have a good time with everyone, ok?" Hunny grinned.

Kimiko sighed, but nodded. "Ok."

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not putting on a bathing suit," Kimiko snapped stubbornly at Hikaru and Kaoru, folding her arms over her chest and giving them a look that she hoped would get them to leave her alone.

"But we went through all the trouble of picking one out for you," Hikaru complained.

"The least you can do is wear it," Kaoru said.

"Not happening."

"Figured," the two sighed dejectedly before brightening again. "Which is why we brought this."

"Brought what?" Kimiko asked, squealing in shock when she was pushed into an empty changing room that was decorated in a very jungle like way.

"We're not letting you out until you change," Kaoru called through the door as she tried to open it with all her might.

"Change into what?" Kimiko cried exasperatedly. "A doll?"

"While that would be fun," Hikaru replied.

"We mean the clothes behind you," Kaoru said.

Letting go of the door knob, Kimiko turned around and saw that there was a pile of neatly folded clothes on top of a counter opposite the door.

"We know you don't like your back exposed so you should be happy with those," Kaoru called through the door. "They don't expose your back at all."

"Thanks," Kimiko replied, picking through the items to see what there was. "These are really cute."

"We know," the twins sang proudly.

Glad to be rid of the poofy yellow dress she had had to start wearing again after leaving the Host Club, she hung it on a hanger and pulled on the dark jean shorts with their slightly frayed hem. She then pulled on a yellow t-shirt beneath a lace trimmed white camisole and another thin strapped shirt. The shirt was a paisley print with bright summery colors, greens, blues, yellows and was made to fit more like a dress that hung just a few inches above the hem of her shorts.

Noticing the pair neutral toned sandals on the floor, she slipped her feet into them and grinned when the tiny little bells on them jingled quietly. When she exited the changing room, she laughed to see that Haruhi was looking for the exit while the twins watched her with mild amusement.

There was a water gun sitting on a table outside of the changing rooms and with a smirk, she picked it up and gave it a few pumps before shooting both boys in the backs. They were shirtless and in board shorts so it wasn't like she was getting their clothes wet, she grinned at the boys when they turned around and waved before setting the gun back down and running away before they could catch her.

"Kimi-chan! Look!"

Laughing at the shouts of the twins she could hear behind her somewhere in the mess of the jungle like atmosphere, Kimiko plopped into a chair and looked towards Hunny who was calling out to her and waving energetically.

"I'm not going forward! Look! Look!" Hunny shouted, a big smile on his face.

Her head tilted to the side in incomprehension when she realized that Hunny was sitting on top of Mori's back, a bunny decorated floaty around his waist. Mori was swimming in the opposite direction of the current meaning that they weren't moving, but staying in the same place in the pool they were in.

"I really don't get them."

She hummed and glanced over at Haruhi who had collapsed onto the ground a few feet away looking rather defeated.

"Give up on getting out of here," Kimiko asked with a smile.

"Yeah," the short haired girl sighed. "I'm too tired to keep looking for the exit."

"How about something to drink? There's a little bar set up over there," Kimiko said, pointing to a little stand a few yards away.

"Sure," Haruhi replied still sounding rather defeated.

Just as the two girls stood to make their way to the drink stand a strangled yelp was heard and they turned to see that the twins had shot Tamaki in the face with their own water guns and were grinning deviously at the sputtering blond.

"How about a game?" They suggested. "Us against Tamaki."

"No way," Tamaki declined. "Who would want to play a child's game like that when you could just relax-"

Kimiko and Haruhi both jolted when the twins appeared beside them. Kaoru was leaning over Kimiko's should while Hikaru leaned over Haruhi's.

"We should get married," Kaoru purred.

Kimiko tilted a brow and tried not to laugh at their antics.

"And we can go on a honeymoon," Hikaru declared happily.

"Who in their right minds would marry the two of you? You devils," Tamaki cried dramatically, jumping up from his seat in a hammock to grab a water gun from a nearby table and charge after the twins that were now running away while laughing and sticking their tongues out at Tamaki.

"Anyways," Kimiko said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "Lets get some drinks."

As they walked to the stand, Mori pulled himself out of the water while Hunny stayed put apparently enjoying swimming against the current.

"Would you like something to drink, Mori?" She offered.

He nodded and began to follow after she and Haruhi, pausing when Kimiko hesitated and paused. Haruhi continued to the stand not noticing Kimiko stop by the table that Kyoya was seated alone at jotting something down in his little black book.

"How about you, Kyoya," she asked, her voice somewhat flat and uncertain. "Would you like something to drink?"

The dark eyed Ootori glanced up in surprise at Kimiko's offer. "No.. thank you though." He smiled at Kimiko who nodded stiffly and went to join Haruhi.

"That was nice of you," Mori said from behind her.

"I may be stubborn, but even I know I can't stay mad at him forever. Hm?" She jolted when her cell phone went off in her pocket and pulled the sleek phone from where she had stuffed it in her shorts. "Hello?" As she listened to the voice on the other end, her eyes widened and her face paled. She ducked her to let her hair fall over her face when she noticed that not only were Mori and Haruhi looking at her with concern, but that Kyoya had looked up and was watching her. "I see. I'll be there shortly. Thank you, Tomoe."

Clicking the phone shut and putting it back in her pocket, she faked a smile and looked back up. "Sorry, but I need to get going. Something came up at home and Haka is waiting for me outside." She skipped away from the stand, waving at Haruhi and Mori as she went.

"Is everything alright," Kyoya inquired, causing Kimiko to start and nearly fall over as she passed him.

She hesitated when she met his eyes, but nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine. Nothing you guys should worry about," she said, smiling another fake smile.

"We're going to worry whether you tell us to or not. You're our friend and that's what friends do," Kyoya replied.

"It's really nothing," she found herself assuring him with a tired sigh. "My house was vandalized, the mess is already being cleaned up, but I think I should go and make sure everything is alright."

"Is that really it," Kyoya inquired.

Kimiko's eyes widened slightly, but after a brief moment of hesitation she nodded. "Yeah, tell everyone else I'm sorry, but I really need to go."

Kyoya watched Kimiko run off towards the changing room to gather her things wondering just what it was she was hiding. He glanced at Mori who was also staring after the dark haired girl, a frown on his normally expressionless face. It seemed he wasn't the only one to not believe that she was leaving just because of the vandalism done to her home.

* * *

"So what do we do," Kimiko asked, setting down the piece of paper Haka had given her and putting her head in her hands. Her elbows were propped up on the edge of the dark cherry wood desk that sat in the center of the library, the most private room in the house, as well as one with out windows.

"The incident has already been reported to the police as well as your uncle. The police will do what they can, but I don't want to count solely on them so I've arranged to have more guards here at the house. I will also be with you at all times, Tomoe and Chika will be nearby as well. We won't let anything happen to you, Kimiko," he assured her, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

She sighed and let her head thunk tiredly onto the desk on top of the letter she had set down. It was a letter that blatantly threatened her life. "I know that, Haka, but just be careful. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."

* * *

The twins frowned after Kimiko who for the last week, ever since their trip to the water park, that had turned out to be quite eventful after she had left, had left class without a word and wasn't even staying for after school club activities. They had tried to stop her, tried to talk to her, but she had smiled and pushed past them.

No one had failed to notice that her security detail had upped its game. There was always someone outside of the classroom waiting for her and she was only left unaccompanied when going to the restroom. There were also two men stationed outside of the school building and hardly anyone was let near her when she exited the building since they immediately took up positions around her.

"I don't like it," Hikaru said.

"I don't either," Kaoru agreed.

"I don't know what you want me to do about it," Kyoya told the two, leaning back in his chair in the club room to fold his arms over his chest. "I've noticed the change in her security, it's hard to miss, but I can only assume it's for good reason."

"We want you to find out what's going on," the twins replied.

Kyoya sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Fine, I'll see what I can find out."

"Really?" The twins chorused, blinking at Kyoya since they hadn't expected him to actually agree to their request.

"Yes, you're not the only one who's worried. Tamaki hasn't shut up about it all week. You two should go prepare for the guests, it's going to be a busy day. It's the last day before the summer break after all."

"Speaking of summer break," the twins chortled, throwing their arm around one another and leaning closer to Kyoya as if they were going to tell him some kind of dark secret. "We had an idea..."

* * *

"Okinawa? What's going on in Okinawa?" Kimiko asked Haka as she took a seat at the dining table and immediately reached for the cup of fragrant green tea on the table. She was exhausted and wasn't sure she was going to make it through dinner without a little bit of a pick me up she hoped the tea would provide.

"I received a call from Kyoya Ootori. It seems your friends are quite worried about you and wanted to invite you to stay with them at the Ootori vacation home on the beach in Okinawa. I told him I'd have an answer for him before tomorrow morning which is when they plan on leaving."

"Why didn't you just tell him no," Kimiko inquired quietly, staring into her tea cup.

"Because you're young, Kimiko, you should enjoy yourself while you can," Haka answered lightly.

She snorted softly. "How am I supposed to enjoy myself when there's a very real threat to my life, Haka?"

Haka let out a long breath and shook his head. "By letting me and the others worry about it. We're here to protect you, Kimiko, have some faith in us. We won't let anything happen to you. Besides, the Ootori family takes their privacy seriously. Their police force and security is impressive. You would have nothing to worry about if you decided on going. They've already agreed to heighten the security around the private beach and the house if you do."

Kimiko cocked her head to the side and thoughtful furrowed her brows. "You told him, didn't you?" She wouldn't look up at Haka and stared blankly down at her bowl of untouched rice.

"I know you didn't want anyone to know, Kimiko, but it's safer for you if your friends are aware of the danger you're facing. Especially since it's summer vacation and you should be enjoying your time with them instead of locking yourself up in here."

Her hands fisted in her lap and her teeth smashed together, her eyes grew watery and took a deep breath while fighting the urge to let the angry tears fall from her eyes. "I don't want anyone else getting involved, Haka. I've caused enough trouble for everyone as it is. This is not their problem and it doesn't concern them."

"Stop being so stubborn, Kimiko," Haka told her almost roughly.

She gasped, her lips parting and her eyes widening enough to let the tears fall from her blue eyes. Looking up at Haka, she met his kind dark eyes and could only listen as he continued.

"You can't just stop being friends with people because you want to protect them. I understand you're worried about their safety, but perhaps you should just tell them that instead of pushing them away. You might be surprised by the reaction you get. Stop thinking that you're doing them a favor by distancing yourself from them and learn to accept that there are some people you can trust beside me, Chika and Tomoe. We're not the only ones that care about you, Kimiko, and it's time you realized that."

All she could do was blink at Haka as the words he said sunk in. When they did, she looked down at her hands. "Call Kyoya and tell him I'll go. If he hasn't already told everyone about what's going on I'd appreciate it if he kept it to himself until tomorrow morning. I'd also like him to have everyone meet here for breakfast so I can explain everything on my own."

"Eight o'clock," Haka asked.

She bobbed her head once. "Yeah, that's fine."

"You should eat before your food gets cold, I'll let Kyoya know you're answer and I'll make sure the cooks know to prepare a larger meal in the morning."

"Thank you, Haka," Kimiko said before the older, father-like man could leave the room.

Haka smiled at Kimiko's head as she began to pick at her food.

* * *

"Kimi-chan!" Hunny sung cheerfully, bounding into the house and nearly sending Kimiko sprawling onto the marble floor when he hugged her in a death like grip.

"Hi, Hunny, Mori," she greeted the two when Hunny released her and Mori ruffled her hair with a smile. She let out a choked cry when the twins assaulted, squishing her between them in a bear hug. "Hi Hikaru, Kaoru," she choked out.

"How dare you treat my precious Kimiko like that!" Tamaki declared, pulling the twins away from her and scolding them while dragging them towards the dining room.

"Hey, Haruhi," Kimiko chuckled, waving at the brown haired girl who was standing in the entry looking rather last. "If you follow the noise you'll find the dining room, I'll be there in just a sec I wanted to have a word with Kyoya first."

"Oh, ok." Haruhi groaned, wincing when the sound of one of Tamaki's high pitched rants reached her ears.

Once Haruhi was out of ear shot, Kimiko turned back to Kyoya. "Thank you for not telling them."

Kyoya shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose. "It's no problem, but you should know that everyone has been really worried."

"Even you," she inquired before she could catch herself. She found herself waiting stiffly for an answer that never came because a sobbing Tamaki sauntered out of the dining room and up to a disinterested looking Kyoya.

"The twins are saying mean things to me, Mommy! They said I'm annoying and-"

"You are," Kyoya cut in bluntly.

Lower lip trembling, Tamaki turned his watery, puppy eyes on Kimiko who froze like a deer caught in the headlights of a fast approaching car. "Kimiko!" He cried, throwing himself at her and crying into her shoulder. "You love daddy, don't you?" He looked up at her with those puppy dog eyes again and she sighed in defeat.

"Of course," she replied, patting him consolingly on the head. "Ah!" She shouted in surprise when she was suddenly being pulled in the direction of the dining room.

* * *

"You should have just told, Kimi-chan," Hunny told her with a warm grin. "You're important to us and you shouldn't have to deal with something like this on your own. We're here for you, right, Takashi?"

Mori nodded and gave a grunt of agreement.

"See?" Hunny chimed, beaming brightly.

"Thanks for-" She was cut off when Tamaki threw his arms around her in an attempt to comfort his 'distressed daughter'.

"You poor thing, don't you worry, Daddy will take care of you," he informed her while petting her head.

"How is that supposed to be reassuring," the twins commented snidely.

"Would you two be quiet," Tamaki shouted, waving a finger in the faces of both boys who were now ignoring him. "I'm trying to comfort Kimiko in her time of need!"

"Uh huh, whatever. Looks more like you're trying to sexually harass her," the twins replied.

"Mom, the twins are saying naughty things again!"

Kimiko sighed, glad that telling everyone about the threat to her life hadn't made any of them run for the hills. Taking her seat now that Tamaki was no longer concerned with her, but was busy fussing over the twins and scolding them while they ignored him and ate the food set out on the table.

* * *

~A/N~

Next chapter has already been started. I'd say it's about half finished so the next update will probably be in about a week or so. Also, just a little note, the Okinawa adventure will be based more off of the anime where the group goes to Kyoya's family's home there and not to Nekozawa's place.

Thank you to... Clarissa Avila, WickedlyMe, Hannah, sethrox9730, Aurora-16, Fell4, Lovelykitten2093, woodspritethatconqueredpeople, HeeHeeHee01, Yuae, Yumi222, creativejuicesflow XXTakaraXX, and forsakenviolinist... for reviewing last chapter! You all made my day, please fo so again and feed the review monster! Thank you!

Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 17**

**Disasters and Revelations**

"This isn't exactly what I expected when Haka said we were going to Okinawa," Kimiko said, watching Hikaru chase after Kaoru who was running down the sunny beach after a volleyball that was rolling across the sand.

"Yeah, I never thought Kyoya-senpai would actually invite the guests. I thought this was supposed to be a vacation?" Haruhi groaned and shook her head before letting it drop onto her knees after watching a group of girls swoon over the twin's brotherly love act.

Kimiko laughed and laid back on the soft yellow blanket she and Haruhi were sharing that was shaded by a large yellow and white striped umbrella. Haruhi was dressed plainly in long khaki shorts and a baggy blue sweatshirt while she was wearing a pair of light worn looking jean Bermuda shorts and a long dark blue t-shirt layered over a white tank top. Over everything she wore a gray lace back, fly away vest.

A pair of white gladiator like sandals sat beside her on the blanket by a bright green linen zip up bag she had brought with her to keep all of her things free of sand. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she had her bangs pushed to the side, secured by a few bobby pins so they would stay out of her eyes.

"The breeze is nice," Kimiko observed wriggling her toes as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty ocean air.

"It is really very pretty here," Haruhi said.

"Haruhi! Haruhi!"

Hearing the call of a group of girls, Haruhi groaned. "So much for vacation," she mumbled.

Kimiko smiled at the girl's distress and remained laying down in her spot even when the group of excited girls reached them.

"Aren't you going to go swimming," one of the girls asked.

"Yeah, the water's great," another giggled.

"I like watching better," Haruhi replied.

Kimiko could picture the 'natural' smile on her face and almost started laughing when she imagined the blushes on the faces of the other girls.

"You girls should enjoy the beach. Besides you look so cute in your swimsuits that you should show them off while you can, right?"

"You really are a natural," Kimiko said with a chuckle when the group of girls had scampered off to go play in the water. Pushing herself onto her elbows, she smiled at Haruhi who returned her smile genuinely.

"I was only telling the truth," the brown eyed girl shrugged.

Sitting up and folding her legs beneath her, Kimiko looked around the beach to see what everyone else was doing. Tamaki was sitting with a girl on a rock just a few feet into the ocean while Kyoya managed a line of girls who were waiting for their turn to sit with the blond prince. The twins were taking a break from playing volleyball and sipping on refreshing juice cocktails made with fresh local fruit. Hunny and Mori were.. Well she wasn't really sure what they were doing. It looked like aerobics stretches just out of the ocean's reach with a few of the girls. A group of girls were sitting around on the beach talking and laughing while a few more played in the shallow waters.

"Looks like everyone's having a good time," remarked Kimiko.

"It does. It's nice to see everyone enjoying themselves."

After a few moments of silence during which the two girls listened to the waves gently crashing onto the shore and watching everyone enjoy themselves, Kimiko stretched and stood up.

"I'm thirsty, would you like anything, Haruhi?" She asked, slipping her feet into her sandals.

"No thanks. I think I'm going to take a walk and see what everyone's doing." Haruhi stood up, dusting herself off and waving at Kimiko as the two went in separate directions.

"Hey, Kimi-chan!" Hunny yelled, running up to her and thrusting a bucket of unknown objects in her face. "Want to go hellfish shunting?"

"You mean shellfish hunting?" She asked in confusion. "I don't really think this is that kind of.." She trailed off when she realized that the bucket that Hunny was holding out to her was crammed full of a wide variety of shellfish. "That's a lot of shellfish..."

Grinning and laughing like a kid in a candy shop, Hunny spun around to continue hunting for shellfish. Kimiko watched him, head tilted and brows furrowed.

"The beach was loaded by my family's private police force who felt bad for attacking Hunny at the water park."

"Right," Kimiko drawled, shaking her head and turning to Kyoya who now stood beside her looking quite comfortable in an unbuttoned white shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

"Hm, looks like Haruhi's joined him."

Taking a look over her shoulder Kimiko couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up in her throat. Haruhi looked like she was having the time of her life searching for shellfish while mumbling to herself about food and different recipes she'd like to try.

"It's been a long time since you've laughed like that," said Kyoya reflectively.

Her laughter died in her throat and she locked eyes with Kyoya for a moment, stunned by the out of character observation he had made.

"Kimiko, I-"

Before Kyoya could continue with what he was saying a series of screams and frightened shouts drew their attention away from one another and to Tamaki who seemed to be the person everyone was steering clear of. With the exception of Haruhi who didn't appear to be bothered by anything. Curious, Kimiko made her way towards the Host Club 'king' with Kyoya following along behind. The two watched as Haruhi calmly stepped towards Tamaki who held a large crab in his hands. Picking something off of the crab, she tossed it into the bushes near a collection of rocks a few yards away.

Somehow this sparked a match of 'Who can find out what Haruhi's scared of' and fifteen minutes after the bug throwing ordeal, Kimiko found herself walking with a group of girls and Haruhi through one of the caves that was accessible from the beach. Hikaru was leading the group and telling a ghost story while Kaoru hung in the back and attempted to frighten everyone.

It worked, but not the way they had planned since Haruhi wasn't the slightest bit fazed. Neither was Kimiko, though she was amused by the way the girls had all crowded around Haruhi.

After that there was Hunny's dark and small spaces strategy... Which failed when the small senior freaked out and demanded to be let out of the truck that had appeared to help with his idea. Mori attempted to scare her with a sharpened harpoon and failed. Tamaki had yet to try anything which surprised Kimiko since he was usually the most into these little games. Instead he had wandered off somewhere on his own.

Stretching, Kimiko stood up from the blanket she had once again plunked herself down on and yawned. The sun was just beginning to set and it was painting a beautiful rainbow of colors over the horizon. The ocean water glimmered and the temperature began to cool ever so slightly. Wanting to take pictures of the amazing sunset, Kimiko grabbed her camera case and made her way up the beach so she could easily walk out onto one of the high outcroppings of rocks to take pictures.

A loud shout caught her attention when she was rounding a bend and she picked up her pace. Her eyes widened when she saw that there were three girls on the rocks they looked frightened of two boys that were staring at someone who wasn't in her view yet.

"Haruhi!" She cried, dropping her camera and sprinting towards the girl as the first of the boys she had seen grabbed the much smaller girl. She was digging in her pocket for her cell phone when she was suddenly grabbed around the waist. Her cell phone tumbled out of her pocket and clattered into sand.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The taunting voice and smell of alcohol on it was almost nauseating and Kimiko cringed as she was pulled roughly into the back of a third boy she hadn't seen. "Go get the boys!" Kimiko shouted at the three girls who squealed in fear, but ran off back towards the beach.

"Kimiko!" Haruhi shouted when the dark haired girl grimaced in pain from the tight hold the boy that grabbed her had on her arm.

"I'm fine," Kimiko grunted, tossing her elbow into the gut of the boy holding her and stomping down on his foot with as much force as she could manage.

The boy released her with a yell and fell onto his butt. His friend that was holding Haruhi called out to him, but when Haruhi attempted to scramble out of his hold he firmly grabbed a hold of her sweater.

"There's no need to try and be a hero, little boy," he taunted before pulling his arm back.

"Haruhi!" Kimiko lunged forward, reaching for the hand that was heading for Haruhi's cheek. She didn't get far however when the second boy tired to grab onto her. He only managed to get one of her wrists which did little to stop her from punching him square in the jaw with her free hand. "Haruhi!" Kimiko watched as the brown haired girl tried to move out of the way of the punch headed for her and slipped on the smooth rocks.

A blond blur shot past her, shoving the boy that had hit Haruhi out of the way and diving after Haruhi without a moment's hesitation. She stepped closer to the edge to see that the blond blur was Tamaki, she let out a relieved sigh when she heard the others approaching. The three trespassing boys were rushing to their feet in an attempt to get away before they could be caught. One of them harshly bumped into her, not noticing she was still there in his haste.

She stumbled forward, her heart speeding up in her chest as she lost her footing and slipped off of the rocks. She was so shocked she couldn't even scream as she plummeted towards the water. Knowing panicking wouldn't get her anywhere, she braced herself for the impact and took a deep breath just before plunging into the cool, salty water. Her body slipped several yards beneath the surface of the water and it was several seconds before the force of her fall let up enough for her to begin swimming back towards the surface.

* * *

"What were you thinking," Tamaki questioned Haruhi, the brown haired girl was in his arms as he carried her out of the water.

Kyoya and the rest of the Host Club greeted them while the guests hung back a little, talking worriedly amongst themselves.

"I confiscated their Ids and asked them to leave," Kyoya informed them as he put his shirt over Haruhi since she was soaking wet and it was beginning to get rather chilly. "Hunny-senpai, Mori-senpai would you call a doctor and arrange for the guests to be returned to the hotel, please?"

"Um, Kyoya-senpai?" One of the girl that had been on the rocks when the three boys had shown up stepped forward, a worried expression on her pretty face. "Where's Kimiko-san? She was up on the rocks too and she hasn't come back down..."

"That's right, Kimiko was up there. She tried to help me," Haruhi affirmed, her brown eyes growing wide with worry.

"I think she was up there when I dove in to get Haruhi," Tamaki spoke up thoughtfully.

"You think," Kyoya snapped at Tamaki, his hands fisting at his sides. "Was she up there or not you idiot?"

"She wasn't there when we got there," the twins chorused.

Kyoya looked out over the calm waves, his jaw clenching. "Hunny-senpai call that doctor and get the girls out of here."

"You don't think she-" Hunny didn't get to finish his question, Kyoya had already tossed his glasses in the sand and was diving into the waves.

"I'll go too," Mori said, striding past everyone to follow after Kyoya as the dark haired boy swam back towards the rocks where Kimiko would have fallen if she had in fact fallen into the water.

* * *

'I have to stay calm, focus on letting only small breaths out at a time. I used to be able to hold my breath for two minutes.. Of course that was before my asthma got really bad.. Don't think about that, panicking will only make things worse.' Kimiko tried to keep her thoughts calm and clear, but it was growing more and more difficult with each passing second.

Her lungs burned for air and she figured she had a few more seconds before she would reflexively try to inhale oxygen into her lungs only to get a mouth full of salt water. She tried to pull her ankle free of the net that it was stuck in, but the action only caused her to screw her eyes shut in pain. Reaching down, she tried to pry the heavy duty fishing net away from her, but it only dug further into her ankle and caused more red ribbons to appear in the water.

Clenching her teeth shut and closing her eyes tightly she fought the urge to breath in despite how much her body was screaming at her to do so. She was only able to override her body's instincts for a few more seconds before she took a breath in only to immediately begin choking on the salt water that invaded her lungs.

Unhappy with the poor substitute for air that had entered her lungs, her body convulsed in an attempt to expel the water which did little more than allow more water into her lungs as she choked and gasped for breath. Her hands curled over the fabric of her shirt willing the convulsions and burning pain to go away.

Her eyes snapped open when soft, warm hands were placed on either side of her face. Her eyes met Kyoya's as he wrapped her in his arms and placed his lips against hers. A warm rush of air entered her lungs and she pulled away from Kyoya to cough violently. The world was spinning and she was growing light headed when she saw Mori swim passed her and towards the net she was caught in, it was bunched up and tangled in the seaweed. She figured it was from one of the local fisherman, abandoned after it had been caught up in the seaweed.

She felt her body grow light and arms wrap around her, lifting her towards the surface of the water where she felt the cool air of the night brushing against her skin, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.

"Breathe, Kimiko. You have to breathe," a voice whispered urgently in her ear. "Please breathe..."

'Kyoya?' She thought, her eyes snapping open as she took in a deep breath of air. The sudden rush of air into her lungs sent her into fit of coughing to expel the salt water from her lungs, she turned sideways in the arms that were holding her and hacked all of the water she had inhaled onto the sand.

Once she had done so, her body collapsed back into the warm arms that held her and her chest continued to heave as she wheezed and gasped for air. Her airways had constricted and she was having a hard time getting the air out of her lungs now that she could breath it instead of water again. She could hear someone instructing someone to get her purse and bring it to them, but she couldn't really focus on much with her ears ringing as she tried to breathe normally.

"Just relax," a voice murmured in her ear as her head was gently pressed against the chest of the person holding her. "Focus on my breathing, on my heartbeat."

She closed her eyes and tried to do as instructed, focus on the steady breathing and rhythmic heart beat that was echoing in her ears.

"Is she alright, Kyo-chan," she heard Hunny ask, his voice laced with concern.

"She'll be fine. Is the doctor here yet?"

It dawned on Kimiko then that the person holding her was Kyoya. She could hear the reverberation of his voice in his chest as it rang in her ear. The realization confused her, but she didn't have much time to think on it. Her breathing was returning to normal and her head was nodding into her chest tiredly.

"Kimiko?"

She hummed and tried to open her eyes, she caught a brief glimpse of Kyoya's concerned face before everything went dark and her head fell onto his shoulder.

"Kimiko?" Kyoya called, lightly shaking the unconscious girl in his arms. "Kimiko?"

"Let me see her."

Kyoya looked up to see a man in his late thirties with graying black hair and thin framed glasses crouching down in front of Kimiko. He had a brown leather bag with him that he sat beside him in the sand, opening it to pull out a shiny stethoscope.

After a few moments of checking over Kimiko and listening to her lungs and heart, the man, who had introduced himself as the local doctor Himekawa, had told everyone he thought Kimiko would be fine. He wanted to get her out of the cold air and take a better look at her somewhere warm where she could put on fresh clothes.

* * *

Kimiko groaned, her eyes squeezing shut even tighter than they already were in response to the sudden ache that washed over her entire body. She could hear the sound of the waves in the distance and feel a light breeze chilling her cheeks. The sound of footsteps was muffled by the sand and she vaguely wondered what was going on, but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes or really care. She was much too comfortable.

"Are you awake?"

She groaned again and buried her head into the warm neck of the person who was holding her. There was a soft blanket over her and she pulled it tighter around herself while burrowing into the comfortable arms that held her.

"I'm guessing you're alright then?"

She blinked her eyes open and reality hit her like a ton of bricks when she glanced up into Kyoya's eyes. His lips were pulled into an amused smirk, but his eyes were lined with concern. Blinking a few more times, she stared blankly at Kyoya who she realized was carrying her towards the mansion that served as a vacation residence for his family.

"I'm fine," she said, grimacing at the dry croak that was her voice. "You can put me down."

"You gave everyone quite the scare," Kyoya told her, ignoring her request to put her down. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she conceded, resignedly relaxing in his arms and looking away from his eyes. Her mind was reeling with the events of the last little while and she didn't really know what to think. Kyoya had come to her rescue, had held her so tenderly and had sounded so desperate when she couldn't take a breath after he pulled her from the water.

"I'm sorry," he quietly informed her. "I know it's a little past due, but I mean it. I'm sorry for how I acted and I would like to make it right. If you'd let me of course."

The smile he gave her then was so genuine that her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. It had been a long time since she had seen the real smile of the Ootori and she had forgotten just how powerful it was. She had nodded without registering that she had done so, accepting the request without thought or hesitation.

"Good," answered Kyoya, a relieved look appearing on his face. "Ah, we're here. I'll take her to her room so she can change into clean clothes. Is that alright, Doctor?"

"Yes, of course. I'll wait out here, if you'd like to shower first that would be fine too. You need to warm up," the doctor told Kimiko with a warm smile.

"Ok, I won't take long," Kimiko assured him. "You know you can put me down now," she pointed out dryly to Kyoya as they broke away from the group after entering the house.

"I know," Kyoya replied, but he made no move to put her down. Even when they reached the room she would be sleeping in, he didn't relinquish his hold on her. "Would you mind getting the door, my hands are a bit full."

Rolling her eyes, Kimiko turned the knob and pushed the door open. Once inside the door, Kyoya nudged it shut with his foot and walked towards the bed with Kimiko still in his arms.

"Thank you," Kimiko said when he carefully set her down on the bed. "I'll get cleaned up and-" She gasped, her eyes widening and her body freezing in place when Kyoya's head dropped onto her shoulder. "Kyoya," she asked uncertainly.

His hands reached for her face and lifted his head from her damp shoulder as he cupped both of her cheeks in his hands and pressed his lips against hers briefly. "Don't scare me like that again."

All Kimiko could do as Kyoya left the room was raise her fingers to her lips numbly and stare after him blankly. It took her a few minutes to come to her senses before she stood slowly from the bed, wincing at the pain that shot up her right leg when she put her weight on it. From what she could feel the cut from where the fishing net had dug into her skin was pretty deep and it hurt pretty badly.

She could walk, but she had to keep most of her weight on her left leg while she showered as quickly as she could, cringing anytime water or soap came into contact with the fresh wound. When she got out of the shower, she dried off and poked her head into the bedroom to make sure no one had come in while she was in the bathroom. She hadn't taken anything into the bathroom with her and didn't want to give anyone a show.

Making her way to the little closet that was behind the bathroom, she pulled on her under things and grabbed a few other items before she made her way back into the bedroom. She had just pulled on a comfortable, layered white skirt that fell between her knees and ankles and was reaching for one of two tank tops she planned to wear beneath a cropped white sweater when the she heard a knock on the bedroom door and the sound of it opening.

She froze in place, her head whipping around to stare wide eyed at Kyoya as he opened the door and walked in. He froze when his eyes landed on her back and the scar that dominated it. Angry, red tissue and shiny taught skin, the result of several nasty burns covered nearly every inch of her back. The only part he couldn't see was the portion that was covered by the strap of her bra and it wasn't much.

Kimiko snapped out of her stupor just as Kyoya opened his mouth. Her body started shaking, her fists too as she clenched tightly to the shirt she was holding to her chest. "Get out," she growled shakily.

Stepping into the room and letting the door swing shut behind him, Kyoya stepped towards Kimiko who spun towards him with narrowed eyes. She looked like a wild animal that was being cornered by a much larger and scarier animal. Her eyes were wary and her stance defensive as he neared her, when he realized this, he stopped and was about to speak when Kimiko snapped at him.

"Get out, Kyoya."

"I just came to see if you were alright. It was taking you a bit longer than we had thought and everyone was getting a little worried," Kyoya explained calmly, hoping that the tone of his voice would help to soothe Kimiko's obviously frazzled nerves.

He had heard that she was sensitive about people seeing her back and had caught part of her exchange with Mori over New Year's, but he hadn't expected the reason for her sensitivity to be a large crescent shaped scar with a circle, he thought was supposed to be a full moon between the peaks of the crescent. The scar dominated her back, from just beneath her neck to her lower back where he could see several distorted markings he thought were kanji, but she had turned away from him before he could tell what they said.

"I'm fine, now get out," she hissed.

"What does it say? The kanji?" The question came out of his mouth without thought and he instantly regretted his words.

"It doesn't say anything," she stated coldly, her eyes going blank while they narrowed defiantly at him. "Now would you mind getting out so I can finish getting dressed?"

"It was your mother's doing wasn't it? It would make sense given the two moons, one for your mother and another for the organization that helped her. You also said you had the scars to prove that what you had been through, that's what you meant, isn't it?" He didn't know why he was still talking, why he was pressing her for answers when she obviously didn't want to talk about what had happened, but he couldn't stop the words from pouring from his mouth. "It must have been painful."

Kimiko's eyes flickered and she took in a deep breath, pulling her pale blue tank top on she turned her back on Kyoya and reached for the other which was a few shades darker. Tugging it over her head, she shrugged into the sweater and made to walk past Kyoya to brush her hair, but he stopped her by lightly grabbing a hold of her hand.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of it. It wasn't your fault and-"

"What would you know," she snapped bitterly, ripping her hand from his. Tears filled her eyes and she angrily clenched her jaw as she glared at Kyoya. "What would you know?" She repeated, her voice weaker and quieter. "I know it's not my fault. It's not like I asked to be held down almost everyday I was held prisoner by my own mother. I didn't ask for searing hot metal to be pressed into my skin. TO be marked as her property."

"I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant," Kimiko cut in gruffly, her tears pouring down her cheeks which she hastily wiped away. "I know, but it is my fault. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been born, if I hadn't existed then maybe my dad would still be alive. He would never have had to risk his life and he never would have had to die so horribly. I'm not ashamed of this scar because it's disgusting and unsightly, I'm ashamed of it because it's a reminder that I failed my own father and watched helplessly as he was killed because of me."

"Idiot," Kyoya sighed, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around while resting his chin on top of her head while she sobbed quietly. "Whether or not you had been born wouldn't have changed things. You said yourself that your mother's goal from the beginning had been to get her hands on your father's wealth. If that's true then she would have found a way to do that regardless of whether she involved you or not. His death wasn't a result of you being born, Kimiko, stop blaming yourself for every little thing. No one blames you."

Her sobs continued for several minutes and she grasped tightly to Kyoya while her body was wracked by emotion. When her sobs died down, she pulled away from Kyoya, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands. "Sorry, I tend to overreact whenever someone sees my back. It brings a lot of painful memories to the surface that are easy enough to forget about since I've gotten used to not looking at my back in the mirror and wearing several layers of clothing."

"It's understandable."

"Let me wash my face and brush my hair, I know everyone's worrying." She stepped passed Kyoya and paused, her eyes focusing on the floor. "Thank you, Kyoya. For not listening to me when I told you to get out. I know it sounds weird, but I appreciate you staying with me." She strode away, shutting the door to the bathroom without giving him time to respond.

* * *

Walking made her leg ache, but she managed to get to the living room and drop onto a comfortable, plush couch in relief.

"Why don't we go into the dining room, dinner should be ready soon and it'll give the doctor a few minutes to look over Kimiko in private," Kyoya suggested.

There were grumbles and murmurs of agreement and displeasure, but everyone with the exception of Haruhi who was nowhere to be seen, stood from their seats and began to filter from the grand room. Only two people had taken their time and hadn't yet left the room. Kyoya and Mori. It was Kyoya that Kimiko reached for, her hand grasping tightly to his.

She smiled crookedly when he turned to blink her and hesitated for a moment. "Um.. Would you mind staying, please?"

When he nodded after a brief moment of thought, Kimiko audibly sighed and her body relaxed. Her hand slipped away from his and she sat back down on the couch with a smile.

"Is that alright, Doctor?" she asked the older man.

"If it will make you feel more comfortable, it's fine with me," he replied with a kind, understanding smile.

"I appreciate it, thank you," Kimiko answered.

"If you'd like to join the others, Mori-senpai, we'll be in shortly," Kyoya told the senior.

Mori nodded and followed after the group that was already out of sight. Silence engulfed the room as Kimiko let the doctor examine her fully, the only time anyone spoke was when the doctor asked a question that Kimiko had to answer. Otherwise, the room was quiet. Kyoya stood off to the side, leaning against a wall while the doctor attended to Kimiko.

It took nearly a half an hour for the doctor to check her over and then clean and bandage the wound to her ankle. When he left, Kimiko wasn't certain if he had helped her or not. Her ankle was throbbing and when she had gone to stand up it almost gave out on her. Kyoya had to steady her so she didn't fall and apparently after deciding it would be easier to carry the limping girl, had hefted her easily into his arms and carried her into the lavishly decorated dining room.

"Are you okay, Kimi-chan," Hunny asked, bouncing his way over so he could grin up at her.

"I'll be fine. I didn't mean to make you worry, I'm sorry." She gave the senior a brief smile before letting her eyes float up and look over everyone that was seated at the table.

"There's lots of food, Kimi-chan, hope you're hungry," Hunny chirped, hopping eagerly back to his seat beside Mori.

"Thank you," Kimiko offered to Kyoya a bit self consciously when he set her down in a chair before taking the one beside her. Turning her head to the table and the food spread out on it, she hesitated. There was shellfish, lots and lots of shellfish.

"Is something wrong with the food?" Kyoya asked, noticing her hesitation as well as the fact that she didn't appear enthusiastic over the number of dishes.

"Um.. It's just.."

"You don't eat shellfish, do you," the twins chorused, tilting their heads and lifting their eyebrows at her.

Kimiko chuckled embarrassedly and shook her head. "No. I don't."

"I'll have a talk with the kitchen, excuse me," Kyoya stood before Kimiko could protest, though she wasn't sure what she would have said since she needed to eat and wasn't going to be eating anything on the table.

With a sigh, she looked down at her hands while the events of the last few hours replayed themselves in her head. Unconsciously, she lifted a hand and let her fingers skim over her lips. Twice that day Kyoya's had pressed against hers, once to try and help her and then again to.. She wasn't sure what he had wanted to accomplish the second time, aside from confusing her anyway.

"Don't you think you should slow down, Haruhi," Tamaki inquired carefully, eyes glancing at the growing stack of empty crab legs in front of the small girl.

"Thought you weren't talking to me," Haruhi replied, snapping into another crab leg and hungrily biting into the fluffy meat.

Tamaki cringed away from the girl he sat beside. "I think you've been hanging out with the twins too much..."

"What was that, boss?" the two identical brothers questioned with deviously innocent grins.

"Eh..N-nothing," stuttered Tamaki, hanging his head like a scolded child.

"Did I miss something," inquired Kimiko, blinking in confusion at Tamaki and Haruhi.

"Not really." The twins shrugged.

"The boss decided not to talk to Haruhi until she apologized for what she did," Kaoru explained.

"And what did she do," Kimiko asked, unable to picture the small girl doing anything that would anger anyone. She was far too laid back and kind.

"She tried to take on those three boys all by herself," Hikaru piped up.

"I was there too," Kimiko pointed out.

"Yeah, but you tried to call for help, Kimi-chan. The girls told us how you were trying to make a call and told them to go and get us." Hunny beamed at her, his face dotted with crumbs.

"I still don't get why she's in trouble," Kimiko grumbled, falling back into her chair with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it, Kimiko-chan, I'm not," Haruhi spoke up, snapping into another crab leg and making both she and Tamaki jump.

Kimiko chuckled at the rather odd sight of a stubborn and immature Haruhi giving Tamaki who was trying his hard not to look too frightened as Haruhi bit hungrily into her food. A quiet squeak caught her attention and she turned to see Kyoya stepping out of a swinging door that led to what she supposed was the kitchen.

"The cooks are preparing something for you now. It shouldn't be long," Kyoya said to her.

"Thank you, Kyoya," she replied, giving him a faltering smile she hoped didn't portray just how confused and unsettled the day and its events had made her.

"It's nothing," he answered dismissively.

Kimiko sighed and looked down at her hands, she was so focused on them that she jumped when a bowl of miso soup followed by some rice and a plate of stir fried vegetables was placed in front of her. Blinking, she looked up at the petite maid that had set it down. "Thank you," she said absently.

Idle chatter circled the table while everyone ate. Only Kimiko was quieter than the rest, her thoughts were too jumbled to allow her to converse with everyone without looking like a bumbling idiot.

A loud shout from Tamaki drew her attention to the other side of the table where it looked like Haruhi was still ignoring Tamaki. Apparently having had enough of this, Tamaki was going to bed and had felt it necessary to inform the entire town with his shouting.

After insisting that Kyoya show him to his room, the two boys left the dining room. Discussion followed their departure over just why Haruhi really should apologize to Tamaki for making him and everyone else worry. She ignored most of it until it suddenly got quiet and after something resembling a war cry Mori ran out of the room with Haruhi in his arms with everyone else trailing after him.

Sighing, she set her napkin on the table and stood up, wincing when she put pressure on injured ankle. Walking close to the table so she could use it for support, she made her way out of the dining room and back to her room. She collapsed onto her bed and covered her eyes with her arm.

After the day she had had, she was exhausted and probably would have fallen right to sleep if not for the fact that her mind wouldn't quiet down. So much had happened between she and Kyoya that she felt she needed to talk to him before she would be able to relax and actually get some much needed rest. She had spent so long so utterly angry and upset with him that now that he had sincerely apologized and had saved her life, she didn't feel she could just brush him off. It wouldn't have been right. He obviously cared about her, she could see it in his eyes and could hear it in his voice that kept echoing through her head. Pleading for her to breathe.

Rising slowly from the bed, she groaned at the soreness of her muscles and pushed herself over the edge and on to her feet. She wobbled a bit, but steadied herself against the bed before limping from her room. She couldn't quite remember which room was Kyoya's, but she thought it was just down the hall on the left.

When she reached the door, she knocked and called out Kyoya's name. There was no response and thinking that she had gone to the wrong room, she twisted the door knob and carefully opened the door. Peeking her head inside the door, she saw an empty, dark room. Frowning, she pulled the door shut and scratched at her head.

"Kimiko?"

She gasped in shock and spun around, stumbling over her own feet and having to be steadied by the person who had said her name and tapped her shoulder.

Laughing embarrassedly, Kimiko looked up at Tamaki and smiled. "Hi, Tamaki. You scared me."

"What are you doing out here?" Tamaki asked.

"I was looking for Kyoya's room. I had something to ask him," she replied evasively.

"Oh, I was headed there too. Would you like some help?" Tamaki offered.

"Sure," Kimiko nodded and let Tamaki put an arm around her waist so she could lean into him while she walked.

It turned out that Kyoya's room had been two more doors down and once the two reached it, Tamaki knocked once and then opened the door.

"Kyoya, do you have any lotion? My sunburn is-" He paused when he looked up to see Kyoya standing a few feet from the bed, shirtless while Haruhi sat on the disheveled bed. He released a tottering Kimiko and stepped towards Kyoya with an angry scowl."You bastard! You-"

"Here," Kyoya cut in, shoving a bottle of lotion into Tamaki's face with a sigh. When Tamaki grabbed the bottle, Kyoya stepped up to Kimiko and lifted the surprised girl into his arms "Don't just walk into someone else's room without being invited, idiot," he told Tamaki and then proceeded to walk out of the room with a confused Kimiko in his arms. "I'm going to go plan out tomorrow's schedule with the others."

"I'm not sure what just happened, but why was Haruhi in your room?" Kimiko asked.

"It was the first bathroom she came to. Apparently she ate too much."

"And she was on your bed why?"

"No real reason."

"That's not much of an answer." Kimiko grumbled sourly, sulking while she was carried through the house in Kyoya's arms.

Kyoya smiled. "Don't worry about it. By the way, tomorrow night after all of the girls have returned to their hotel and we've cleaned up what do you think of touring Okinawa?"

Kimiko considered the offer and was about to agree to it when Kyoya spoke again.

"I've already made all of the arrangements. We'll be leaving here at six. The others will be staying behind, I don't feel like babysitting Tamaki."

"So it's just us?"

"Is that a problem?" Kyoya inquired.

"I guess not. I wanted to talk to you anyway. Tomorrow's as good a time as any," she shrugged.

"It's a date then."

Kimiko choked on the breath she was taking and started coughing while turning a bright shade of red. Kyoya smirked at her reaction and ignored her glare when she noticed.

"You're really something else," Kimiko muttered tersely, stubbornly looking anywhere but at the handsome Ootori. "And you're creepy when you're happy."

* * *

~A/N~

Nice and long chapter for you. Hoe you all enjoyed.

Thank you to... KageNoNeko, WickedlyMe, Clarissa Avila, sethrox9730, HeeHeeHee01, woodspritethatconqueredpeople, Aurora-16, XXTakaraXX, Laleanen, Karibi, midnightangelxoxo, and creativejuicesflow... for reviewing the last chapter!

I tried to reply to every review, I know I missed one or two of you and I apologize, but I'll try my best next time! I hope everyone reviews this chapter, too! Please!

Feed the review monster! Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18 A Surprising Ally

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 18 **

**A Surprising Ally **

Dressed comfortably in a brightly colored paisley print dress over a white tank top and white leggings that reached her mid-calf, Kimiko limped carefully from her room while pulling on a short sleeved pink shrug over her dress. Her hair had been neatly french-braided and her bangs pinned out of her face with a few glittery bobby pins.

"Good morning, Kimi-chan!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Kimiko smiled at Hunny and Mori who were also walking down the hall. "Good morning, Hunny, Mori."

"Good morning," Mori greeted with a slight smile as Hunny skipped up to Kimiko and grinned happily at her.

"How are you feeling today, Kimi-chan? You look very pretty," Hunny said.

"Thank you. I'm feeling fine, my ankle hurts, but otherwise I'm okay."

"Do you need any help getting to the dining room? Mori can give you a piggy back ride. It's a lot of fun," Hunny laughed brightly.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage."

"Are you sure?" Mori asked.

"Yeah, Kimi-chan, are you sure? You look like you're in a lot of pain and didn't the doctor say to rest your ankle as much as possible to let the cut heal," Hunny questioned.

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then it's settled," Hunny chirped. "Takashi will give you a piggy back ride! Be careful with Kimi-chan, Takashi, okay," Hunny beamed before hopping off down the hall leaving Kimiko to stare after him, jaw working and eyes blinking.

She squealed quietly, startled when Mori whisked her easily into his arms.

"This really isn't necessary, Mori. I can walk," she protested, blushing from the surprise of being lifted into the senior's arms. "Well hobble really or hop, hopping works too. Keeps the weight off of my ankle.." Knowing she was rambling, she shook her head. "Point is I can get where I need to go."

Mori ignored her.

Knowing any further argument wouldn't do her any good, she relaxed into his arms with a huff. "Thanks," she mumbled after a few seconds, knowing he heard her when she saw his lips twitch into a small smile. A smile appeared on her lips too and she shook her head mirthfully.

Kimiko hummed, blinking her blue eyes and glancing down a little hallway that they were walking past. Furrowing her brows, she glanced up at Mori who came to a halt and frowned when he too heard Haka talking somewhere nearby. It wouldn't have struck her as odd since Haka was in charge of her security detail and spent a lot of time on the phone lately, but he was talking heatedly, almost angrily and that was out of character for him. Mori must have sensed that as well or at least sensed that Kimiko was wanting to know what was going on because he turned down the hall that Haka could be heard from.

"Then find him," she heard him order brusquely.

Pushing a heavy wooden door open at the end of the hallway, she peaked her head in what appeared to be a monitoring room. There were several screens showing different angles of the Ootori residence they were in and it was one of the outside that Haka was staring at while speaking into his cell phone.

"He shouldn't have been able to get anywhere near this beach, I want answers and I want him found. Now."

"Haka," she called worriedly, pushing the door to the room open with a shaking hand and motioning for Mori to set her on her own two feet which he carefully did and then kept a light hand on her shoulder as she leaned into the wall.

Haka looked over at Kimiko, his eyes briefly flickering to Mori before frowning deeply and snapping, "Find him," and clicking his phone shut and shoving it in his coat pocket.

"Is everything alright?" Kimiko asked nervously.

"Katsuro is somewhere on the beach," he answered with brutal blunt honest.

Gasping, her eyes widening, Kimiko asked, "How?"

He shook his head. "No idea, the Ootori private police are no slouches and everyone has been on high alert since yesterday's incident at the beach."

Kimiko opened her mouth to speak, but Haka beat her to it.

"Everything is under control, the area where you and the others will be has already been thoroughly searched as has the surrounding area. He's not there, the Ootori secret police know the area well and I have complete faith in their abilities. Let me do the worrying, Kimiko, you should go eat and then go to the beach with everyone else."

"But-"

"You won't be endangering anyone or yourself, you'd be in more danger here at the moment honestly. Most of the manpower we have on the island is searching the island or stationed near the beach, not here," Haka informed her.

Kimiko was going to protest, say that she didn't see why she had to go to the beach since it seemed like such a bad idea to be in the open with so many people, but Mori squeezed her shoulder gently. When she looked up at him she sighed and nodded. "Right, lets go see the others."

Once again winding up in Mori's arms, Kimiko let her thoughts drift and by the time they walked into the dining room her head was on his shoulder and she was staring vacantly into space.

"Takashi, Kimi-chan there you are, we were wondering where you two went," Hunny said, looking over his shoulder to beam at them.

Blinking, Kimiko snapped out of her stupor and smiled wanly at Mori as he set her down so she could plunk into a set beside Hunny while he took the seat on the other side of the small senior.

"Is everything alright," Kyoya asked glancing between she and Mori.

She nodded. "Yeah, fine."

He raised a brow, but decided against asking any further questions as Kimiko started to eat the food on the plate that was now in front of her. Everyone at the table exchanged glances, but sensing Kimiko's sombre, thoughtful mood stayed quiet and ate in silence.

"Will you be joining us at the beach today, Kimiko? If you're not up to it-"

"I'm fine, and I will be joining you," Kimiko stated blandly, cutting off Kyoya as she set her napkin aside and rose from her seat. "I'll be in the other room when you're all ready, I need to get my bag."

Waiting until Kimiko had rounded the corner and was out of earshot, Tamaki leaned over the table to look at Kyoya who was pulling his phone from his pocket and lifting it to his ear. "Is everything alright?"

"Katsuro was on the beach," Mori said. "It's been searched and he hasn't been found, but most of the security is out guarding the beach since that's where we will all be going. She was told it would be safer to go with us than stay here."

"Well I don't think she agrees," Tamaki sighed.

Kyoya snapped his phone shut and addressed the entire table. "Whether she agrees or not doesn't matter, it's the truth. Almost all of the security force and police force are at the beach either searching it or watching over the parts that have been searched. Haka wants her there since he can't stay with her here."

"I guess that makes sense, but poor Kimi-chan," Hunny said. "She must feel so alone."

"We're all here for her," Hikaru said.

"She just won't open up," Kaoru shrugged.

"Think about it," Haruhi spoke up, staring at her hands in her lap for a moment and then looking up. "She's used to be alone and dealing with these sort of things by herself. She's never had anyone she could really open up to or trust. I know she and Haka-san are close and that she trusts him, but he's her guardian and he takes care of her so he's probably not around as much when something like this happens which means she has to deal with it all alone."

"But she's not alone," Mori stated in his usual monotone.

Hunny grinned. "That's right, Takashi, she has us."

"She just needs to realize that," the twins chorused, leaning against each other and looking very bored.

* * *

Kimiko sighed for the umpteenth time and let herself fall back into the padded hammock that she had claimed and closed her eyes. The hammock had been hung in the shade of several trees, it made it much cooler than it would have been a few feet away in the blazing sunlight. Putting her pale arm over her eyes she sighed again and used the foot she had let dangle over the edge of the hammock to gently rock herself back and forth. The feel of the soft sand and the calming motion the gentle sway of the hammock helped calm her nerves.

To say she had been tense would have been an understatement. She had hardly spoken to anyone since leaving the Ootori home over two hours before and she had spent most of that time staring blankly up at the sky above her. Everyone had left her alone, either because they were too busy entertaining guests or were too busy being entertained or because she wasn't all that approachable at the moment.

A loud booming noise startled her, making her heart skip a beat as her eyes snapped open and she jolted upright. Several more explosions reverberated through the air and in the distance Kimiko could make out a cloud of dark smoke rising ominously into the air. The entire beach had gone completely silent, it seemed like even the waves had been muted as everyone stared wide eyed and slack jawed in the direction of the smoke that was rising into the blue sky.

As she stared down the beach something clicked in her head and she stood up so quickly that her ankle protested violently against the sudden movement, the pain was so overwhelming that she cried out and fell into the sand. Gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes shut to block out the pain, she took a moment to gather her breath before slowly rising to her feet once again. Knowing that walking wasn't going to get her far, Kimiko looked frantically around for her purse. Spotting it in the sand beneath the hammock, she limped to it and nearly tore the zipper apart in her haste to open it and dig out her cell phone. Just as she clasped it in her hands, it rang. Startled, she nearly dropped the phone into the sand.

Everything felt as if it were moving in slow motion and her body felt numb and heavy as she flipped the phone open and raised it to her ear. She wasn't sure if she said anything when the phone reached her ear all she could remember was looking towards the smoke that was marring what had moments ago been a beautiful afternoon sky. The voice on the other end spoke quickly and while it spoke she found herself surrounded by several men she didn't recognize though she recognized the symbol on their armored vests. One of the larger men stepped forward, all she could do was stare at him as her breathing seemed to quicken and her heart sped up, her vision wavered and her grip on the phone slackened until it slipped from her grasp and thunked into the smooth sand.

Her knees buckled and she felt herself fall, felt the wind rush through her hair and past her ears, felt the warmth of the sand beneath her knees and between her fingers as her hands fisted in the sand.

"Kimiko!"

She didn't even hear the call, didn't see Mori push through the group of men to run towards her followed by Hunny, Kyoya and the rest of the group while the guests hung back on the beach whispering worriedly amongst themselves.

"Kimiko?"

"What's going on," Kyoya asked one of the men wearing the uniform of his family's secret police force.

"We're not entirely sure. We received orders to find Aratoshi-sama and escort her back to the manor," the man replied precisely.

"I see."

"Kimiko?"

Dazedly glancing up, she blinked at Mori who was knelt beside her. At the same moment all the energy in her body felt as if it were sucked out and her head fell onto his shoulder. Glancing at Kyoya who was frowning thoughtfully at the two of them, Mori carefully lifted Kimiko into his arms and stood up.

The journey back to the Ootori estate was a haze of fog for Kimiko. Mori carried her, Hunny walking beside them with several Ootori policemen tagging along while the others stayed to escort the guests back to their hotel. Kimiko had practically folded in on herself on the walk, she was huddled against Mori looking almost like a child, a very fragile, very lonely child.

* * *

Sinking into the incredibly plush chair she sat in, Kimiko sighed and nodded resignedly at Haka while diverting her eyes to look out the large window that gave her a beautiful view of the Okinawan beach. She looked tired now, her cheeks had paled and her eyes were dull and glassy. Haka would have thought that she didn't care in the least about the news he had just given her, but despite Kimiko's best efforts to remain calm, the way she was gripping just a little too tightly to the arms of her chair was a good indicator that she wasn't nearly as calm as she was trying to seem.

"Is there any progress on finding him?" Kimiko asked, her voice blank and monotone while her eyes gazed out over the sea, not seeing any of the beauty in the sun that was slowly sinking into it.

"It's not finding him that's the problem," Haka answered. "He may have ties to a powerful family in its own way, but our resources aren't to be underestimated. He's not the only one to have friends and connections. The problem is what we'll do once we've caught him. The police will be unable to do much to assist us since we have no proof that he was the one to do any of this, they only have our word. As powerful as your family is, it's not enough to jail someone with ties to the yakuza. He would only end up escaping somehow or another anyways."

"He just destroyed my father's home here in Okinawa. It was his favorite retreat, he loved that house," murmured Kimiko absently, her eyes darkening coldly while her face remained blank. "I think I'd like to return the sentiment. If I remember correctly Katsuro was born in one of the homes the Harashi family owns in Tokyo. I believe his mother was quite fond of it and that it was his father's preferred residence..."

Haka frowned and studied Kimiko. She still didn't seem outwardly upset, yet she had just stated that she wished to retaliate against the one who had blown her father's retreat up in a similar fashion. He would have said it was unlike her, but she had a mean streak in her and she had spent enough time being submissive and overpowered that now that she was free to do as she pleased, she was a force to be reckoned with. Even when she had been forced to bow to her mother's every whim, she had occasionally been a force to be reckoned with. She had learned how to be sneaky and was forced to learn to think in ways that most people couldn't fathom. He couldn't help but to think she could have followed in her mother's footsteps, had she wanted too and had their relationship been good enough for it to even be considered.

"You realize that doing something like that will only make matters worse, don't you? Why stoop to his level, Kimiko?"

Her eyes moved from the window to stare at Haka, but her head didn't move. "I would stoop to his level because that's all that he understands. If we keep letting him get away with destroying my family's property and threatening me, he's just going to keep doing it until he gets what he wants. Since I have no intention of ever giving him what he wants, I might as well show him that he isn't the only one who should be feared."

"I'll see what I can do... In the meantime do you still plan on spending the evening touring Okinawa?"

Her eyes went back to staring outside blankly and she minutely shook her head. "No, I don't want to risk being seen. At this point, Katsuro must be aware that I wasn't at the mansion. He probably already knows the Host Club is here and there's no telling whether or not he'd keep poking around and looking for me. We'll reschedule for another time."

Nodding, Haka left Kimiko to stare out the window as the sun sunk below the sea.

Kyoya was walking to his room, but seeing Haka leave Kimiko's and stride down the hall he altered his course, and went to Kimiko's room. He knocked lightly on the door. "Kimiko?"

When he received no response, he turned the door knob and pushed the door open a few inches. "Kimiko?" Still not receiving a response, he opened the door a little more and looked inside the room. The bed was empty and the reddish light pouring in led him to believe the curtains were open. Glancing towards the window he saw Kimiko sitting in a chair staring absently out the window. Entering her room, he closed the door behind himself and took a few steps toward Kimiko studying her as he went.

She looked exhausted and pale, her eyes would have looked dead if there weren't a spark of some dark emotion swimming beneath the blue surface.

"Is everything alright?" Kyoya asked cautiously.

"...I just told Haka to destroy one of the Harashi family homes," she replied blandly.

"I... I don't think I follow."

Turning her head, she let her cold blue eyes meet Kyoya's surprised eyes. "My father's favorite retreat was here in Okinawa, south of here actually." Kyoya made a quiet noise of surprise and his eyes widened behind the lenses of glasses. "This morning it was blown to pieces. There's little doubt as to who was responsible and I have no intention of letting them get away with destroying something that was precious to my father."

"So you're retaliating?" He questioned just to confirm what it was he was hearing. "Against the yakuza? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Something in her head seemed to click into place, it was like she was missing a piece to a puzzle that was almost completed and had just found it. The anger she had felt dissipated and she blinked dumbly at Kyoya.

"Kimiko?" Kyoya asked, confused by the sudden look of realization on Kimiko's face that soon mixed with a slight trace of fear in her eyes. If it were at all possible, her face paled even more and her eyes widened.

She blinked a few more times and shook her head, her mouth working, but she couldn't form any words for a few more seconds. "It wasn't Katsuro."

"What do mean?"

"Katsuro has ties with the yakuza, that can't be denied, but he doesn't exactly command a lot of respect in its ranks. His uncle does, his uncle is the one to make all the decisions and his uncle is the one to run the show. There's no way Katsuro could have arranged to blow that house up on his own. I'm such an idiot, I was so upset I wasn't thinking clearly and just wanted payback, but there's no way Katsuro alone could have pulled off something of this scale without his family's help." Her head dropped into her hands and she took a deep breath to try and gather her thoughts together and analyze the situation. "I need to talk to my uncle."

"In America? What-"

"No, he married into the family. I need to talk to my _real _uncle," she said, looking up as she emphasized the word uncle.

"I thought your father was the oldest and only son, he only had one sister, didn't he?" Kyoya questioned.

Kimiko chuckled dryly and smirked. "My grandfather's only children were not my grandmother's only children."

Kyoya lifted a brow at her choice of riddle like words. "Your grandmother had other children?"

"Only one other child," Kimiko answered as she carefully stood up and limped towards the door. "But if I tell you who he is, I'd have to kill you." Kimiko smirked and winked at Kyoya as she passed him.

Sighing, Kyoya shook his head and flipped the little black notebook that he had been holding open and jotted a few things down before snapping it shut. He then adjusted his glasses and let himself out of Kimiko's room.

* * *

"Haka," Kimiko called, pushing the door to the surveillance room open and leaning into the doorway. She gave him a crooked grin and said, "I'd like to go home. There's someone in Tokyo I'd like to see."

Brows drawing together, Haka dared to ask, "Who would that be?"

"My uncle of course," she answered, smirking before limping off down the hall.

* * *

The following morning, Kimiko stepped out of the sleek black car that took her anywhere she needed to go and approached the gates of a walled in compound. She was dressed neatly in black slacks and a pale purple top beneath a fitted black blazer. Her hair had been pulled partially up into a bun and she had worn sunglasses with a rather large frame making it hard to see her entire face. Her black stilettos clicked on the pavement as she stepped up to a speaker that had been installed into a wall beside the gate. She pushed the button on it and waited to be addressed.

When a voice crackled over the intercom asking her what the reason for her visit was, she replied with a simple. "It's Kimiko Aratoshi, I'm here to see the master of the house."

There was a short silence before the voice crackled again. "Just one moment, Aratoshi-sama."

Smirking to herself, she positioned herself in front of the gate and waited for it to be opened. Haka was beside her while Chika and Tomoe stood stiffly behind them. When the gates opened, she was greeted by a well dressed older man who bowed to her.

When he straightened up, he directed everyone to follow him. Walking though the grounds of the traditional styled home and it's many buildings, Kimiko didn't fail to notice the strange looks that she and her intimidating guards earned them. A teenage boy with what Kimiko thought was reddish brown hair, it was hard tell behind the dark lenses of her sunglasses, blinked at her.

The boy then looked to the man beside him. "Who's she?"

The man shushed him. "When _he's _escorting someone, you don't ask questions like that," the man hissed.

They were all led into the main house and once they stepped inside several men that were intimidating in their own right stepped between Haka, Chika and Tomoe, blocking them from moving any further.

"It's alright," Kimiko said before any one of them could do something rash. "I won't be too long."

"This way, Aratoshi-sama."

Kimiko followed the older man to a room near the middle of the house, he slid the door open and gestured for her to go inside. Once she was in the room, the door slid shut behind her with a clack and she pushed her sunglasses up to sit on top of her head.

There was a small table in the center of the room, one man sat on a pillow facing her, his blue eyes watching her. His face was set in a stern frown as she approached, but he didn't do anything other than watch her.

"Long time no see, Kasanoda-oji-san," Kimiko greeted the man with a smile while kneeling onto another pillow opposite the man whose eyes continued to study her for several moments before he smiled warmly at her.

* * *

~A/N~

... I'm not really happy with this chapter... I had wanted there to be more interaction with Kyoya, but it just didn't seem to want to work out that way. The next one will hopefully be better... and longer...

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19

I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 19**

"Long time no see indeed, Kimiko-chan. I was sorry to hear about your father, it was.. unfortunate."

Kimiko's smile wavered and she looked down at the tea cup on the table. "It was. Are you aware of how he died, Oji-san?" She asked calmly, her eyes still focused on her tea for several seconds longer before she looked up to meet the eyes of her uncle. "The real reason, that is."

The older man's face fell into a stern frown. "I've heard rumors, but it's hard to discern the truth from the lies. I've also heard about your own recent misfortunes. The vandalism to your home, the destruction of the retreat on Okinawa and the obsession a certain Harashi has with you... Your visit today, Kimiko, what is the reason for it?"

She took a deep breath through her nose and straightened her shoulders while gazing at her uncle with eyes that were certain and showed nothing but strength. "I want your help."

A graying eyebrow rose as her uncle stared at her, clearly waiting for more information.

"You're well aware of just who my mother is and you have a pretty good idea of just what she's capable of." At this point, Kimiko turned so that her back was to her uncle and began to unbutton her blazer and blouse. "I'm sure that some of those rumors you heard combined with what was printed in the tabloids probably gave you an idea as to what I was put through when I was kidnapped, but in case you weren't aware..." she trailed off and let her shirt and blazer slide down so that her back was exposed. She heard the gasp of shock from behind her, the realization of what the scars were supposed to mean, but she stayed the way she was. "My mother had me kidnapped, she tried to blackmail my father into giving her everything by torturing me, when he refused, but still tried to protect me she had him killed. First, his throat was slit and then a pack of ravenous dogs was set on him... All while I watched." Pulling her shirt and jacket back over her bra and rebuttoning them before she turned back towards her uncle.

There was anger burning in his eyes, hatred and a fierce disgust.

"I want your help to destroy her and the Harashi's who seem so hell bent on making my life as short as possible."

A thoughtful look passed over her uncle's face and his eyes narrowed almost darkly. For several moments, he simply stared at Kimiko as if trying to see into her mind and read her thoughts. "Do you understand what it is you're asking of me, Kimiko? There-"

"Will be a price to pay," she cut in. "Whether that price is money or it's the consequences that will follow such a huge act... I'm ready to pay that price. I'm not naïve, nor am I stupid. As much as I hate to say it, I am my mother's daughter and I can be just as cold hearted and cut throat as she can be. If I let things continue I will never live peacefully, she won't allow it. I can't do nothing, I have to take a stand, but I can't do that on my own. I may have extensive contacts, but they're not _that_ good. I need your help if I'm really going to make a difference... If I'm ever going to be free of her... If I'm ever going to avenge my father's death."

"Do you really think your father would want that? That he would want you to carry the burden of knowing that you were responsible for destroying the lives of potentially hundreds of people?"

"I said I wasn't naïve, Oji-san. My father was a good man, but even he turned to you for help with several delicate problems, did he not? He may not want me to burden myself with guilt of any kind, but he wouldn't have let something like this go. He would have done something, he would have taken action. I'm only doing what he would have."

Her uncle studied her for several minutes and she remained calm and relaxed while he did so.

"Alright," he said quietly, his head bobbing twice.

"Thank you, Oji-san. I'll do whatever-"

"You will do nothing, Kimiko," he cut in sternly.

She gasped, surprised by his abrupt interruption. "But-"

"You will forget you even came here. As will everyone that came with you. Do you understand?"

She nodded after moment of hesitation. "Yes... I understand."

"Leave this to me and forget about your revenge, child. This is not a problem you can solve, this is a problem that needs to be taken care of in a world you should not venture in to. Your father would never forgive me if I allowed you to take part in any of the events that will follow," he explained, a saddened look in his eyes. "I owe your father a great deal and he once asked a favor of me that it seems I'll now have to make good on."

"A favor," Kimiko asked uncertainly.

He smiled. "He asked me to look after you if anything ever happened to him and your mother. Though I don't think this is quite what he anticipated."

* * *

After a few more moments of conversation, Kimiko left the little room she had been led to to find Haka standing across the hall. She blinked at him, surprised. He shouldn't have been allowed past the entrance to the building, but apparently he had been admitted into the home so he could be close to her. She smiled at him, figuring that it was his loyalty to her father and than to her that had lasted through so many years that had allowed him to be let this far inside.

"We can go now," she said to him, her smile fading as she turned to lead the way back outside.

Haka followed behind her, watching her as she stared thoughtfully at the ground, lost in her own world.

"Kimiko?" Came a confused voice from her left as they stepped back into the day light.

Jolting, Kimiko stopped and turned to see who had called her name. As soon as she saw the tall red headed boy with his strong features staring at her while the workers nearby nervously watched him as if he would eat them, she laughed and waved before jogging over to him and practically jumping on him to hug him. The mouths of everyone nearby dropped as they stared at their young master who had just been hugged by some unknown young woman who didn't appear at all frightened of the intimidating teen.

"Hey, Ritsu!" She greeted happily, grinning as she released her cousin, the next head of the Kasanoda syndicate, and stepped back.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming by," the Kasanoda heir replied.

She laughed again, a bit nervously this time. "Eh.. I didn't."

Blinking at her, it took a moment for everything to process before he spoke again. "Oh. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just... well... I just wanted to say hi to Oji-san," she lied.

"Well, do you still have some time? I was just about to eat lunch, you should join me. We haven't seen in each other in years, it would be nice to catch up."

"Um..." With a glance back at Haka, she sighed and shook her head regretfully. "I can't, Ritsu. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I know you can't be seen around here. I'll see ya around sometime, ok?" He said with a smile before patting her on the head.

"Alright, bye, Ritsu." She waved to the red head as she continued her way out of the compound.

* * *

"A knight in shining armor, hm, Kyoya?" Kimiko asked wryly as the boys began to exit the dressing room, so far Tamaki, Mori, Hunny and Kyoya had come out dressed as knights. The twins were nowhere to be seen yet.

"Is there a problem with the costume," he inquired blandly, adjusting his glasses as he walked over to where Kimiko sat with her head propped up on her palm.

"No, I suppose not. I just thought you'd dress as a rich noble lord like the twins plan on doing. Seems like it would suit you better," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice as she smiled.

"So why did you leave the beach early, Kimi-chan? Is everything alright," Hunny asked, skipping over to Kimiko's little table by the window.

"Everything is fine, I just had some business to take care of," she answered casually.

"Aren't you going to dress up too, Kimi-chan?" Hunny questioned, grinning at her.

She shook her head. "Not today. I won't be doing too much, my ankle is still just a little sore and I would rather let it rest."

"You can help me with a few things then," Kyoya spoke up, his calculating smile on his face.

"I figured as much," she grumbled sourly, wondering what he would have her doing today.

"We should probably get ready for the arrival of our guests," Kyoya suggested to the others.

"Gentlemen," Tamaki declared gallantly. "To your places."

Everyone except for Kyoya wandered off to take their places in front of the door to greet the girls that would be arriving soon.

"How was your visit with your uncle?" Kyoya inquired curiously.

Glancing up at him, Kimiko smiled innocently. "What visit?"

* * *

Boredly rearranging the Host Club's web page and auction site, Kimiko drowned out the chatter and giggling going on in the room around her. It wasn't until she heard a commotion of some kind that she turned around to see just what was going on.

A confused and uncomfortable looking Haruhi was standing in the middle of a group of unfamiliar girls. One of which was wearing a boy's Ouran uniform for some reason.

Kimiko blinked when the girls were suddenly no longer wearing Ouran's uniform, but the uniform of another school that she wasn't familiar with: St. Lobelia's. She wasn't entirely sure what happened after that because she began to ignore everyone, not at all interested in getting involved with whatever was going on. When she was done with her work on Kyoya's laptop, she closed it and stretched her arms over her head, finally realizing that it seemed too quiet.

Looking behind her, she saw that all of the guests had gone and the boys were all back in their school uniforms. "When did they change," she mumbled, a confused frown forming on her face.

"And this young maiden," someone cried dramatically, frightening Kimiko so badly she screamed when a face appeared in front of her and someone gently grasped her chin. "What is it that you're doing here? Have these boys tricked you-"

"Get your hands off me," Kimiko snapped, swatting the short haired girl away while standing up to put some space between them. She cringed when she slipped in her haste and tweaked her injured ankle slightly.

"Young maiden, are you-"

"I told you not to touch me," Kimiko snapped again, limping away from the St. Lobelia girls that were crowding around her and creeping her out. Looking for some form of escape, she noticed Mori towering above everyone else a few yards away. "Mori, help please!" She cried when the girls started to rush her again and she knew she wouldn't be able to get away from them quickly enough.

She let out a sigh of relief when Mori scooped her up and dashed back to the other side of the room where the others were standing around an apparently napping Tamaki.

"What the hell is going on and who are they," Kimiko asked as she was set down on her own two feet.

"We are the Zuka Club of St. Lobelia Academy. I am Benio-"

"I really don't care who you are," Kimiko grumbled, turning her back on them to wander to the changing room where her school bag was. "I'm going home. This is more weird than I can handle in one day."

"How dare you ignore Beni-sama!" One of the girls shouted in disbelief.

Kimiko didn't listen to the shouts and disappeared into the changing room for a moment before coming back out with her bag over her shoulder. She paused to look back at Kyoya as she walked to the door. "I forgot, I need to talk to you. Can you give me a call when you're done dealing with.." she gestured at the girls who were gawking at her like she was some kind of freakish alien. "That," she finished.

"Alright, hopefully it won't be long," Kyoya replied sounding ever so slightly annoyed and inconvenienced by what was going on.

"Bye everyone," she said, waving as she left the boys to deal with whatever in the world she had very nearly been dragged into.

* * *

"I thought I said to call, not show up unannounced and uninvited," Kimiko said stubbornly as she walked into the main living room to see Kyoya sipping on a cup of tea while reading an article in the day's newspaper that had been sitting on the table.

Folding the newspaper back up, Kyoya set it back down on the table as Kimiko rather ungracefully plopped herself down onto the opposite side of the couch. The little kitten she rescued was right behind her and jumped up onto her lap the moment she sat down to curl up and purr happily as she absently stroked the cat's fur.

Kimiko had changed out of her school uniform, but since she hadn't been expecting company she was dressed comfortably in a pair of long, wide legged black yoga pants and a white long sleeved sweater over a bright pink lace trimmed camisole.

"I didn't feel like returning home just yet and thought we could talk in person rather than over the phone," Kyoya replied.

"You could have called," Kimiko grumbled.

"I could have, but then I wouldn't have been able to see you."

Kimiko sighed tiredly. She was still not sure just what she and Kyoya were to one another and hadn't spoken about what had happened in Okinawa. "And why would you want to see me, Kyoya?" She asked blandly.

"Do you really need to ask?"

Glancing over at the gray eyed Ootori, Kimiko frowned. "Yes, I do. I happen to be a bit confused about just what I am to you. You went through great lengths to push me away a few months ago, but then you turn around and try to make amends."

"Which you stubbornly refused to let me do, by the way."

"When someone you happen to care about acts in a way that makes you think you don't know a thing about them, you tend to react that way," Kimiko shot back. "I knew you could be an ass, Kyoya, but I didn't think you could be that much of one."

"My father told me I wasn't to associate with you. It was a rather hard thing to accomplish considering the fact that I wanted to do the opposite," Kyoya informed her. "I was angry, but I had no choice."

"Yes, you did. You could have just told me instead of acting the way you did."

"I could have, but you would have understood."

"And that would have been a problem," she asked incredulously.

"You wouldn't have cared about what my father ordered me to do. Your feelings for me and mine for you would have been all that mattered to you. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of being able to ignore my father."

"Then why are you here, Kyoya?"

"Because a certain annoying blond reminded me that I've never been very good at giving up on getting the things I want."

Kimiko glanced over at him with wide eyes. It took a moment for the words to sink in and when they did she shook her head let out a breath. "Won't your father be angry that you're not listening to his instructions?"

"Probably, but I'm not worried about it."

She had the distinct feeling that there was something more behind Kyoya's words, but she didn't have the chance to try and find out when Haka came in to ask whether or not Kyoya would be staying for dinner since the cooks were about to prepare the evening meal.

"He is," Kimiko answered before Kyoya could speak up. She tossed him a smile when he raised an eyebrow at her quick response. "What? I'm not allowed to want you to stay for awhile?"

* * *

Covering her yawn with her hand, Kimiko crinkled her nose and continued her trek upstairs to the Third Music Room. She was running late today, she had had to spend some time going through an envelope of recent documents concerning the business she and Kyoya had started several weeks before. So far everything was running smoothly, they weren't quite pulling in a profit yet, but she figured that it wouldn't take long before they did. Medical supplies were always in high demand after all.

"Hey, sorry I'm..." She trailed off as she laid eyes on the boys and their outfits. A teary eyed Haruhi was stifling laughter behind one of her hands while the girls from the Zuka Club that had shown up the day before stared at her in disbelief. "You know what, I don't want to know. I'm going home," she said, turning around and closing the door behind her. "I am never going to be able to get rid of that image," she mumbled as she strolled back down the hall and images of the twins, Tamaki and Hunny dressed in frilly dresses with way too much make up swam through her head.

* * *

The rest of the week went by in a much more normal fashion after the two visits from the Zuka Club and Kimiko was glad for the lack of excitement. When the weekend finally arrived, she was glad for the break. She had no plans for the weekend since she was still not allowed to really venture outside much considering that there was still a real threat to her life. With nothing better to do, she had planned on relaxing with a good book and not much else.

Those plans were altered when Kyoya showed up on her doorstep unannounced while she had been reading with Sora curled comfortably in her lap. The little cat didn't move when Kyoya entered the living room that Kimiko was reading a book in while stroking the cat's head.

"Kyoya, what are you doing here," she asked, confused by his sudden appearance.

"I was bored," he replied, sitting down beside Kimiko on the couch she was resting on.

"And so you decided to just invite yourself over?"

"Is that a problem," he asked with a smirk.

"No," she answered, returning the smirk with one of her own. "Because now I don't have to get up to get a pillow."

Kyoya didn't protest as Kimiko laid down on the couch, using his lap as a head rest. Her cat wasn't too happy with being forced to move and with the fact that she was no longer the center of Kimiko's attention and left the room in search of someone else who would shower it with attention.

After a few minutes of conversation the television was turned on and the two continued to talk while watching various programs. Kimiko was quite comfortable and apparently much more tired than she had thought and began to nod off to sleep against Kyoya.

"I hate to ruin your nap, Kimiko, but dinner is ready," Kyoya informed the sleeping girl, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving her a light squeeze.

She groaned and curled up, snuggling closer to Kyoya only to blink her eyes open upon remembering that she wasn't in her bed, but on her couch laying on the black haired boy. She bolted upright, turning a bright shade of red as did so.

Kyoya tilted an amused brow at her and smirked lightly at her reaction as she stood, mumbling an embarrassed apology in her haste.

"You're the one who decided to use me as a pillow and now you're embarrassed by it? And you say I'm hard to understand," Kyoya remarked cheekily.

Kimiko shot a glare over her shoulder at him. "I am not embarrassed that I decided to use you as a pillow, I'm embarrassed because I was.. cuddling," she said the last word while gesturing incomprehensibly at him with her hands and had a look on her face as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth.

The smirk on Kyoya's face grew and he adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I'd like to point out one thing."

"And what's that," Kimiko inquired arrogantly, turning her face away and sticking her nose indignantly in the air.

Stepping closer to Kimiko, Kyoya leaned over her shoulder and replied with a quiet, "I wasn't complaining."

Cheeks flaring red again, Kimiko huffed to cover her growing embarrassment over the rather unexpected and forward response and stomped off towards the dining room. "Are you coming or not, Kyoya," she asked irritatedly when she reached the hall and he wasn't following after her.

He chuckled at her stubbornness. "Yes, of course."

* * *

The following day, Kimiko was in need of time alone with her thoughts. She wandered to the gym and began to practice with her bow. It always seemed to help calm her and allow her to think about anything that was bothering her. In this instance she needed time to contemplate her new found relationship with a certain Ootori. They didn't quite consider themselves to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but they most certainly were more than simple friends now. Part of her was excited with this new development, she had liked Kyoya for sometime and to know his feelings were returned was relaxing in a way. It was also making her feel very vulnerable, something she wasn't too fond of feeling. She knew she was just anxious since she had never before attempted to have a relationship that was beyond simple friendship. She wasn't sure how to act or what to do, the answers were coming to her as she practiced her stance and breathing though. And it was rather simple.

She should just be herself.

Taking a deep breath, Kimiko lined up the shot she was now ready to release and then let her fingers relax, releasing the arrow and letting it soar towards the target. She remained in her stance as the arrow slammed into the target, just off center of the bulls-eye.

"Not bad."

Kimiko started and turned to see that Kyoya was standing a few yards away, watching her.

"I heard you knew how to handle a bow quite well. I'm honored to have had the chance to see for myself."

"How long have you been there," Kimiko asked curiously. She knew she could lose herself while practicing it was such a calming exercise for her.

"Not long. I came in while you were stepping into position. I believe that it's referred to as ashibumi, placing the footing. The first step in the eight stages of shooting."

"Oh... You should have said something."

Kyoya gave her one of his winning smiles, a real one. "I could have, but then I somehow doubt that I would have been able to see you complete your shot. It really was quite amazing."

"Thank you," she replied somewhat awkwardly.

Setting her bow aside and removing the chest guard she had worn over her shirt as well as the four fingered glove she had put on, Kimiko put everything away and then turned her attention to Kyoya who was patiently waiting for her.

"I thought you had breakfast plans with you father and brothers this morning. Did something happen?"

"My father's client had to cancel so my presence wasn't needed," Kyoya answered.

Kimiko hummed to herself when she retrieved her phone from the table outside of the gym. She had missed several phone calls from the twins apparently, but they hadn't bothered to leave her any messages so she had no idea what they wanted.

"The twins must be bored," Kimiko commented as the pair continued to walk to the living room. "They've called me seven times so far this morning."

"Oh, yes... About that," Kyoya began when they reached the living room.

"About what," Kimiko asked, walking into the living room while looking over her shoulder at Kyoya.

She squealed in surprise when two sets of arms wrapped themselves around shoulders and two identical faces appeared on either side of her own.

"Morning, Kimi-chan," the twins sang joyfully.

"What the..." Kimiko trailed off and shot a look at Kyoya that expressed her confusion and desire for an explanation of what was going on.

"Sorry, Kimiko, but I didn't have much choice in the matter," Kyoya told her, pushing his glasses up his nose and hiding his eyes in the glare given off by the lenses.

Kimiko was quite sure he was smirking like the devil beneath his hand, but had no time to accuse him of anything when the twins hauled her off towards the door. She shouted her unhappiness with the situation, but settled on giving in and going along with the twins and their antics quietly as she was placed in a car and squished between them so she couldn't escape. She shot a glare at Kyoya who was standing outside of the vehicle and was no longer hiding the devious grin on his face.

* * *

"Why am I here again," Kimiko asked as she was ushered into the twins' mansion by the two.

"Have you picked out a Halloween costume yet," Kaoru asked.

"No. I was going to do that tonight."

"Well now you don't have to," Hikaru told her happily.

"Why?"

"Because we picked one out for you," Kaoru grinned.

"Of course you did," she sighed.

The twins beamed at her and rushed her off so quickly she had no idea where they were going. When they stopped, Kimiko had to take a moment to catch her breath.

"Tada!"

Looking up to see just what the twins were so excited about, Kimiko blinked at an outfit that was currently being worn by a mannequin. "It's awesome," she said without really realizing it.

"We know," the twins sang.

"Now try it on," Hikaru said, pushing her closer to the mannequin.

"We'll be outside," Kaoru informed her, grabbing Hikaru and skipping outside of the room to shut the door on her.

Kimiko studied the costume on the mannequin, uncertain of whether or not the white top would cover enough of her back. She hadn't lied when she had said the costume was awesome, she loved it. It was a faerie costume that she had no doubt they had had made just for her. It had a white chemise that had lace around the collar and short capped sleeves that was worn beneath an under-bust corset made from dark blue fabric that was embroidered with silver flowers. There were silver ribbons laced through the back of the corset and again on either side of the front of it. The corset gave way to an unevenly cut, layered skirt. There was a layer of silver organza, and dark blue silk. A set of small silver fairy wings adorned the back of the costume. It was really very pretty.

Unlacing the corset, Kimiko pulled the costume piece by piece from the mannequin. She was able to get dressed easily, but the corset was a bit difficult to tightly lace on her own.

"Hikaru, Kaoru," she called. "I need your help."

She heard the door open behind her as she studied herself in the mirror, the shirt was slightly off of her shoulders, but it wasn't low enough to reveal any of her scars. She coughed when the laces of the corset were taken from her and pulled incredibly tightly.

"Sorry," Kaoru said, innocently grinning at her as she glared at him.

"I'll get the other side," Hikaru offered, moving to the other side of her to tighten the laces there.

"So what do you think," Kaoru asked.

"I think it's great. Thank you," she answered with a smile. "Where are the shoes? I know you have to have some around here for me."

She squealed when she was pushed into a chair that had some how appeared behind her. Next thing she knew Kaoru was slipping a pair of sandals on her feet and lacing the ribbons attached up her leg to just below the knee while Hikaru began brushing her hair.

"You two enjoy this sort of thing way too much," Kimiko stated in annoyance, though she did nothing to stop them. It was easier to let them have their way and besides, she didn't entirely mind. She would never admit it, but it was kind of fun to spend time with the twins and let them play dress up with her.

* * *

~A/N~

Sorry for the delay in updating, it's been a hectic little while for me. However, I won't bore you with the details. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you for all of the reviews and faves, I appreciate them all so very much!

Oh yeah... I'm looking for someone to help with beta-ing a few stories. This one for starters, mainly just someone who can help correct errors and also to give me feedback before I post the chapter. Someone who will honestly tell me what they think and then help me come up with ideas, you will get credit for your help of course. Just know I can be a little needy at times... I'll try not to be though, I swear. :) I also would like someone to help with the last few chapters of The Forgotten One, not so much beta-ing as someone to read over what I have down and tell me whether it's any good. I'm interested in betas for my other stories as well, if interested let me know. Thank you!

Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 20**

**Surprise Vacations **

'_You need to be careful this weekend. ~R_'

Kimiko frowned down at the vague text message. 'Be careful of what?' She thought to herself. 'It would be useful to know that much at least, Ritsu.' She knew it had to have been Ritsu that had sent her the message, he was one of the few people whose number wasn't in her phone and the only person whose name she could think of that began with the letter R.

'_Of_?' She replied back.

The response took several minutes, but when she did get it she could only stare at the single word.

'_Katsuro._'

With a frown, Kimiko erased the messages from her phone. The messages from her cousin worried her. They went to the same school, but rarely saw each other and never spoke or even acknowledged one another when they did. The connection between them was a secret one and one that neither of their families needed discovered and blabbed about. He wouldn't have contacted her directly if he weren't actually worried about her, he would have contacted Haka or someone else and the message would have been relayed. She couldn't risk direct contact with him lest their dirty little secret accidentally be revealed.

Rising from her couch and setting the book she had been reading aside, she carefully removed Sora from her lap and placed the kitten on a blanket. She mewed in protest and blinked her eyes at Kimiko as if to tell her she was being mean, but with a reassuring pet on the head and a kiss from her the kitten promptly fell back to sleep, purring contentedly.

Making her way out of her room, Kimiko quietly made her way down the steps and towards the back of the house. A large security room was housed there, full of high tech equipment and a shiny wood meeting table. At the moment the door was closed, which wasn't really out of the ordinary, but Kimiko could hear muffled voices on the other side of it.

Since the room was built to be secure, she couldn't make out much of what was said, but she thought she heard someone say something about Sunday and plans being made. With a frown, she opened the door. All talking immediately ceased and Kimiko looked around to find Haka who was seated at the table with Tomoe and Chika as well as a few of the other guards that were highly trusted. One she noted was actually from Kyouya's own private bodyguards. No one said anything as she entered, only stared at her and she could see in their faces that they were wondering just how much she had heard, if anything.

"What's going on?" She asked cautiously, her eyes focusing on Haka. Haka didn't look entirely pleased with her arrival and it made Kimiko uneasy.

"It's nothing, Kimiko-sama," he replied, addressing her formally in front of all of the others.

She didn't believe him, she had noticed the way one of the guards she didn't know had glanced at Haka with a look of slight confusion. It didn't seem like a good time to question Haka so she settled for nodding in reply. "Oh, okay. I was just hoping to have a word with you, Haka, when you had a chance…"

"Of course, I'm almost done here. I'll find you after."

She nodded again and turned to leave the room, closing the door behind her. She stayed where she was for a moment before wandering her way back to her room. Not being able to concentrate on reading anymore, she absently stroked Sora's fur and stared at the ceiling until Haka knocked on her door a few minutes later.

She waited until the door was shut behind him to speak. "Ritsu sent me a message saying to be careful of Katsuro this weekend. What's going on?"

Haka frowned, he didn't appear happy with her news, but he also didn't appear surprised in the slightest. "I was hoping to tell you tomorrow after the Halloween festivities were through, but I suppose that's no longer an option, is it?"

"No, it's not," she replied.

"You have no need to worry, chances are Ritsu was concerned about how you would handle this weekend's plans. I can't say I blame him, but-"

"What are this weekend's plans?" Kimiko cut in.

"You're going to be taking a surprise trip to the countryside."

Kimiko raised a brow. "A surprise trip?" She repeated curiously.

"Everything has already been arranged, we'll be leaving Sunday evening."

"But I have school on Monday."

"You'll be missing classes for a little while."

"Right. So what are you not telling me about this trip?"

"No one is to be made aware of your whereabouts. And I do mean no one. You included for the time being."

"So I should not tell anyone that I'm going on a last minute trip?"

"No, you should keep this to yourself."

"And how long is a little while, Haka?"

He sighed. "Honestly, Kimiko, I don't know. We've been given information from your uncle that Katsuro is planning something for next week, we just don't know when or what. Apparently he has the help of his uncle and your mother so chances are it is not something that you should be around for considering he's tried to blow you up once already. You will be well taken care of though, so there-"

"Wait," Kimiko interrupted, sitting up straight, her brows knitted together as she stared up at Haka. "What do you mean I'll be well taken care of? You make it sound like you won't be going with me. You will be going with me, won't you, Haka?" She didn't care that she sounded like a frightened child, it didn't matter because without Haka around that's what she felt like. A weak, frightened, and helpless child. He was always with her, always either by her side or watching from the sidelines so she could have some semblance of privacy.

He smiled softly, but shook his head. Kimiko could feel her heart speed up in her chest and felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack when he spoke. "No, I won't be going with you. You'll be mostly on your own, but I've taught you enough that I don't think there's anything to worry about. You'll still have guards and-"

"But they're not you! You- You've always been there, Haka, I don't trust anyone else."

"Calm down, Kimiko. You trust your uncle, don't you?"

She clenched her teeth together, but managed a nod.

"And so do I. You'll be in good hands," he assured her.

"There's still something you're not telling me, isn't there?" Kimiko inquired, leaning into the couch tiredly.

Haka's face flickered briefly into a frown that was promptly replaced with a neutral expression. "There's nothing for you to worry about. Enjoy tomorrow and the weekend, just remember that no one can know what is going on. No one, Kimiko."

* * *

A soft snore was heard from the dark haired girl that was curled up on a plush sofa that was sitting near a window looking out into the dimming courtyard below. Her head was tilted back onto the cushions and her eyes were closed while a cup of dark coffee cooled on the table beside her. Her sparkling chest heaved beneath the tightly laced corset that looked mildly uncomfortable and Kyouya couldn't help but to stare appreciatively at the sleeping girl. He knew she must have been tired, he had it on good authority that the twins had shown up at her house at four in the morning to 'help' her get dressed and made up for Halloween. Since then they had dragged her around with them all day until she had been able to escape and sneak into the club room.

Twitching in her sleep, a quiet groan leaking from her lips, Kimiko began muttering curses under her breath. "Stupid, pushy twins," she grumbled coherently, fidgeting before settling back into a peaceful slumber.

By now, Kyouya's brow was raised in amusement and his dark eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. He almost didn't want to wake her, but if what Haka had said was true then Kimiko had entered into the Music Room nearly two hours before. While the devoted guard stood just outside the door, he knew Kimiko was in no danger. Guards were still milling the school grounds, whether the students or anyone else noticed them, however, was no cause for concern. They were there, like shadows, everywhere Kimiko went.

His phone vibrated in the pocket of his priest's robes that he had chosen to wear since it was Halloween and Tamaki had insisted he wear something. Since Tamaki was going to be a vampire, he chose to be something capable of vanquishing that creature. The irony of it had been lost on Tamaki, however. The screen showed a picture of a grinning Tamaki, with a sigh Kyouya took the call and wondered when this new photo of his idiot friend had made its way onto his phone. Stepping away from Kimiko so as not to disturb her, he brought the phone to his ear and almost immediately pulled it away again with an annoyed grimace.

"-Bastard twins! They need to be punished for what they've done to my poor Haruhi!"

"Quiet down, Tamaki," Kyouya sighed. "So I take it Haruhi finally caught on to the twins' game?"

"You knew? And you didn't tell me? How could you, mother?" Tamaki cried in a perfect rendition of a heartbroken child.

Kyouya rubbed at his temples with his free hand. "It wasn't hard to figure out, Tamaki. Now what do you want?"

"I'm on the way to the club room with the twins and Haruhi. Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai are also on their way. We're going to have a little discussion with these troublemaking twins," Tamaki explained, he sounded as if he was trying to be aggressive yet mature, it made him sound like a pompous old man instead.

Glancing at the sleeping Kimiko, Kyouya frowned. "I'm already in the club room, where are you?"

"Still in the freshman hall, we were looking for Kimi-"

"Kimiko is already here," Kyouya cut in.

"What are you two doing alone in-"

Without waiting for Tamaki to finish, Kyouya snapped his phone shut and dropped it back into his pocket. Yet another sigh escaped him as he made his way to Kimiko, he didn't want to wake her when she looked so peaceful, but it was either he woke her or the others would wake her with their more than likely loud and obnoxious entrance and probably scare her half to death.

"Kimiko?" He said her name softly, not wanting to startle her, and still reluctant to wake her up.

She stirred some, but didn't wake.

"Kimiko," Kyouya repeated a bit louder, he slid his hand to hers and gave her fingers a brief squeeze. "Kimiko."

This time she did awake, with a startled gasp as her bright blue eyes flew open. "..Kyouya?" She questioned, her voice still thick with sleep as she blinked up at him.

"I didn't mean to scare you, but Tamaki and the twins are on their way here and I figured it would be better if I did the waking instead of them. Are you alright?"

Kimiko nodded sleepily. "Yeah, I'm just tired." She picked up her coffee and took a sip, scowling at her now cold beverage. "Guess I was out for awhile."

"Haka said you've been here about two hours. I called him when I couldn't find you with the others."

"Were you worried, Kyouya?" Kimiko asked with a smirk that was quickly replaced with a yawn that she lazily covered with her manicured fingertips.

"Considering you're guarded like royalty, I have no reason to be worried."

She shrugged, looking out of the window and noticing that the sun was making its way down below the horizon. Standing, she stretched as best she could despite the restrictive corset she wore. Picking up her coffee, she headed over to the pantry. Kyouya watched her as she walked away from him, he once again had to admit that the twins did know how to make a flattering outfit. Kimiko looked excellent in the costume they had made for her, even though the wings were nowhere to be seen she looked like every bit like a shimmering faerie as she glided across the room gracefully. There was something in her eyes though when she had woken up and how she had since then tried to avoid looking at him.

"Are you alright?" Kyouya asked, following Kimiko into the pantry.

She started at the sound of his voice and heaved a reluctant sigh. "Fine, I just didn't sleep well last night."

Kyouya studied her closely, her back was to him but he could see her face in profile and she looked almost sad. At the very least he could tell she was thinking about something intently. "I heard the twins woke you quite early."

A scowl creased her face and she scoffed. "If by early you mean four in the morning, yes, they did. Apparently they didn't think I was capable of dousing myself in glitter alone."

"You are rather shiny today," Kyouya agreed with amusement.

She cast a playful glare over her shoulder. "And you are rather ironic today. A clergyman, Kyouya?"

"You make it sound like I'm the devil or something."

"Did I offend the Shadow King?" She teased. "So very sorry."

Despite her playful attitude, there was still something missing in her eyes. They weren't glimmering with the same intensity as usual. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Turning to lean into the counter with her mug of coffee in her hands, Kimiko stared into the steaming liquid and kept it closer to her face as if to hide behind it. "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you."

Releasing an exasperated breath, she looked up at him. "I.. I was just reminded that there are people out there who are trying to hurt me. Not that I had forgotten, it's hard to forget when I'm surrounded daily by people whose job is to see that no harm comes to me, but…"

"It's still upsetting," Kyouya said.

Glancing back into her coffee self consciously, Kimiko gave a quiet reply. "Yeah, it's still upsetting."

She looked incredibly vulnerable at that moment. He had seen her troubled before, when he had questioned her about her kidnapping, but that was different. Then she just looked as if she had locked away all of emotions in order to keep herself from being hurt too deeply by the memories he had stirred up unwittingly. Now she looked vulnerable and worried. He knew Haka guarded her steadfastly and would never let anything happen and she had always seemed certain of that herself, until now.

He found himself walking up to her, and putting a hand under her jaw to carefully tilt her chin up. "You're going to be fine."

A weak smile formed on her lips. "I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

The door to the club room opened and the room was instantaneously filled with the sounds of arguing from the twins, loud chiding from Tamaki and excited talking from Hunny.

"Kyouya, where are you?" Tamaki called. "I need your help with these bumbling twins!"

A muscle in Kyouya's cheek twitched. "The only person whose safety you should worry about is that obnoxious idiot's."

A brow rose amusedly and Kimiko chuckled. "We had better get in there before he gives himself a heart attack." She stepped around Kyouya intending to go join the others in the main room, but her hand was enfolded in one of Kyouya's before she could get far. She turned to look at him with wide eyes. Their relationship had yet to be defined, and they typically acted normally in front of the others and school. When alone they would relax and allow themselves to get comfortable, but even then they rarely seemed to actually touch and the warmth of his hand sent a shock up her arm.

"Will you be alright?" He asked.

This time she managed a real smile. "I'll be fine." He didn't seem to believe her. "I will. Promise." Her body moved on its own then and she stepped closer to Kyouya, her lips pressed against his for the briefest of moments and then she stepped back with a smile.

"Mother, where are you?"

Kyouya scowled in response to the voice shouting for him.

Chuckling, Kimiko clasped her fingers around his hand and tugged him into the main room with her. "Let's go before he has a breakdown."

"I would rather not," Kyouya grumbled behind her.

Kimiko had barely exited the pantry when the twins where suddenly in front of her. She had to stop so suddenly that Kyouya ran into her back. He let out an irritated sigh and released Kimiko's hand to steady her since she nearly went sprawling into the floor.

"Kimi-chan," they whined.

"Tamaki's being mean to us," Hikaru proclaimed.

"He says we're going to be punished," Kaoru explained with an air of desperation.

"If you two start your brotherly love act in front of me I'll pour my very hot coffee all over you," Kimiko threatened as Hikaru reached for Kaoru, a fake look of concern on his face.

"No fun," they complained, pouting at her.

"So why aren't you wearing your wings?" Kaoru asked.

"And why were you and Kyouya-senpai all alone in the pantry?" Hikaru inquired.

"They were uncomfortable and we were in the pantry because I was getting some coffee since I didn't get a lot of sleep last night for some reason and was in need of something to help me keep my eyes open," she snapped.

"That's enough," Tamaki cried, dramatically falling into a chair. "The two of you not only tampered with the school clock, but you damaged school property! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The twins hung their heads and pouted stubbornly. "We just wanted to spend Halloween together," Hikaru said.

"It's not like we did anything wrong."

"You broke a window and made everyone think Haruhi was cursed!" Tamaki exclaimed

"So that's what they were up to," Kimiko muttered. "I knew they were up to something, but I was too tired to pay much attention."

"Haruhi was refusing to participate in most of the Halloween activities. The twins way of getting her to participate was to make her think she was cursed," Kyouya explained.

"Hey," Haruhi spoke up suddenly, a look of realization on her face. "The dance is going on now, right? Why don't we all go and dance?"

The twins took a second to process the information before they cheered and practically bowled Haruhi over as they excitedly ran out of the room with her in tow between them. Tamaki took off after them, shouting about how to properly treat a lady.

"Are you coming too, Kimi-chan?" Hunny bounced over to ask.

She smiled at him, he was dressed in a rabbit suit and looked ridiculously cute in it while beside him Mori was dressed as a big white dog with black patches of fur. "Sure, I'll go."

"Awesome. I hope there's cake!" Hunny declared. "Lets go, Kimi-chan!"

She let herself be tugged out of the room by an overly excited Hunny while Mori and Kyouya followed along behind them. Laughing, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Kyouya and to her surprise he genuinely smiled back.

* * *

Skipping her way behind Kyouya as he chatted with a group of girls from his class, Kimiko slipped her arm into his and grinned when he looked over at her. The dance was winding down and the last song was about to be played before everyone would be going home. She had spent most of the evening so far dancing with the twins or Hunny and chatting with Katashi. As of yet, she had not had time to dance with Kyouya or even really talk to him.

"Pardon the interruption, but I'm stealing Mr. Ootori for the last dance," Kimiko informed the girls her had been talking to, they didn't look particularly pleased with her. She paid them no mind though and pulled Kyouya with her to the dance floor.

The lights dimmed and a slow song began to play, rather than take more traditional stance Kimiko put her arms around Kyouya's neck while he placed his hands on her hips. They swayed in time to the music and barely noticed when the song ended, they continued to stare into each others' eyes. They were unconsciously leaning closer to one another and their lips were just about to touch when a shrill shout startled them and they ended up smacking their foreheads together.

Kimiko immediately started to laugh as she stepped back and rubbed at her forehead while Kyouya looked mildly irritated as he looked around to see what all of the sudden commotion was. He shouldn't have been surprised to see a soaking wet Tamaki animatedly scolding the twins who looked like they couldn't have cared less about being in trouble or not.

"Idiots," Kyouya grumbled.

* * *

Sunday morning Kimiko awoke early and worked out for an hour before showering and getting dressed in a pair of slightly worn light colored jeans paired with a simple pale pink v-necked t-shirt decorated with what looked to be brightly colored water-color flowers. Beneath the shirt she wore a white tank top and over the entire ensemble she wore a white hooded sweater. A few chains of silver with chunky white beads dangled from her neck and her hair had been pulled up into a simple ponytail at the base of her neck. She ate a small breakfast while reading over the days paper before she retreated to the library where she went over the most recent numbers from the business she and Kyouya began.

After nearly two hours of that, she jogged back up to her room and slipped on a pair of bright pink converse before she skipped down the stairs and proclaimed that she was ready to go.

Grabbing her school bag, she waited for Haka in the entryway while the car was brought around to the front of the house. Haka appeared from the back of the house at the same moment a quick honk came from out front to indicate that the car was ready to go.

Haka opened the door for Kimiko and she bounded out of the house and into the waiting car. She noted Haka wasn't right behind her, but he reappeared a moment later with a white wool coat in his hand.

"Thanks," Kimiko grinned when Haka slid into the backseat with her and handed her a white peacoat. "I doubt I'll need it, I don't think we're planning on going anywhere. Just studying."

"Better to have it than not," Haka remarked.

"I suppose," she shrugged.

A comfortable silence fell over them while the car drove first through the wide streets of the wealthier area she lived in and then the more compact streets of the city. When it stopped, she waited for Haka to exit the vehicle and take look around while talking into a little mouthpiece for a radio he had on his hip hidden beneath his sports coat. A few guards had arrived before they had to make sure the area surrounding Haruhi's house was free of any suspicious people. As usual it was and Kimiko stepped out of the car when Haka opened the door for her a moment later.

"Good morning," Kimiko greeted the kind older woman that served as the landlady for the complex Haruhi lived in with her father.

"Morning, Miss Aratoshi, another weekend of studying?"

Kimiko smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yeah, still can't get the hang of doing everything in Japanese."

"Well, good luck dear."

"Thank you."

Climbing the steps to the second level, Kimiko was just about to knock on Haruhi's door when the door was pulled open and a bundled up Haruhi blinked at Kimiko in surprise.

"Kimiko? Is it already noon? I must have lost track of time. I was headed to the store to pick up a few things, my dad ate the last of the snacks," Haruhi informed her.

"Want a ride?" Kimiko offered.

Haruhi looked around Kimiko uneasily. "I think I'd rather walk if that's alright?"

"Yeah, of course," Kimiko chuckled. Given that the car was rather flashy despite its boring black paint, it still drew a lot of attention from the neighbors. Attention Haruhi wanted to avoid by not being seen anywhere near it.

"Good," Haruhi sighed, she was about to pull the door shut but stopped when she saw Kimiko holding her bag. "Oh, yeah, put that down inside so you don't have to carry it."

"Thanks." After setting her bag by the table and shrugging on her coat, Kimiko followed after Haruhi with Haka walking a few yards behind them. He looked a little out of place, but no one seemed to pay him much mind.

The girls chatted as they walked to the store, Kimiko noticing at least two men on the way that were guards with flesh colored ear pieces in their ears. She wondered how many casually dressed guards would be doing pretend shopping when they reached the little neighborhood market.

The trip was a quick one, though there was a bit of a debacle at the check out counter when Kimiko paid for the snacks that Haruhi picked up.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Haruhi said as they left, she sounded a bit embarrassed and angry.

"I know, but you help me study every weekend and you're too stubborn to let me pay you for tutoring so spending a few bucks on snacks is really the least I can do."

"I guess," she sighed reluctantly.

"You're stubborn," Kimiko observed, poking her friend in the arm and winking at her. "I happen to know you don't need or want charity, Haruhi. Just because you aren't rich doesn't mean you aren't rich in another sense, nor does it mean you need my charity. It's a thank you for helping me out when you didn't need to, nothing else, alright?"

"Alright, alright. I guess I am a little stubborn, but… what in the world?"

Kimiko glanced up to see what had drawn Haruhi's attention. She sighed and shook her head. "At least I'm not as bad as them."

"Very true, but what the hell are they doing here?" Haruhi grumbled.

"This is a 'we happened to be in the neighborhood visit' and not a make sure that Haruhi isn't living in absolute squalor mission. No matter what we must not say things like poverty struck, looks teeny -"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Haruhi snapped at Tamaki who had been busy lecturing the twins, Mori, Hunny and a very bored looking Kyouya.

Kimiko smiled at Kyouya and walked to him while Haruhi yelled at Tamaki about showing up with no notice. "Happened to be in the neighborhood, did you?" She inquired with a chuckle of amusement.

"Tamaki insisted we pay Haruhi a visit, apparently he had one of his insane dreams that convinced him she was living in some run down tiny shack."

"Fine," Haruhi shouted. "You can look, but only for a second then you're all leaving so Kimiko and I can study."

Kimiko and Kyouya hung back from the others as they climbed the steps and gathered behind Haruhi in front of her apartment.

"Just a look and then you're leaving," Haruhi repeated, glaring in annoyance at a pouting Tamaki.

"Haru-chan, Haru-chan!" Hunny declared whipping a pastry box from nowhere to hold in front of Haruhi. "I brought cakes. There's strawberry and chocolate."

".. Then eat that and then go home," Haruhi grumbled, turning to let everyone into her apartment.

"Haruhi and her love of food," Kimiko chuckled, shaking her head. "Should we join them?" She asked, glancing up at Kyouya.

"If we must," he sighed, offering her his arm with a gentlemanly smile.

Rolling her eyes, she offered a quick curtsy and took his arm so they could follow everyone upstairs and into the apartment. Haka was waiting by the door and Kimiko could hear the boisterous group inside talking loudly. She smiled at how happy everyone sounded and when she stepped into the apartment past Haka, she was reminded that tomorrow she would be disappearing from everyone's live for an as of yet undetermined amount of time.

A memory of the Halloween dance flitted through her mind and she recalled how close she and Kyouya had been to sharing their first actual kiss. Without thinking about what she was doing and barely taking enough time to make sure the others couldn't see them as they walked into Haruhi's apartment, Kimiko stopped and took Kyouya's face into her hands. Her lips pressed against his, at first she could tell she had caught him off guard, but he relaxed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her.

She was breathless when she pulled away and smiled. "Sorry, but I just felt the sudden urge to do that."

"I am entirely alright with that."

Kimiko laughed at Kyouya's reply and skipped her way into the living room. Haruhi was in the kitchen preparing tea and Kimiko made her way over to the short haired girl to see if she needed any help.

"Can I help you with any, Haruhi?"

"No, that's fine. I'm almost done with the tea. Go ahead and have a seat with the others."

"Alrighty," she sauntered back into the living room and took a seat beside Kyouya while flashing him a grin.

Friendly conversation was exchanged over milk tea and miniature cakes with the occasional outburst from Tamaki as he assaulted the twins whenever they said something that he thought might offend Haruhi.

"This cake is just making me hungry," Hunny spoke up.

"It is about lunch time, isn't it?" Tamaki replied.

"So what's for lunch?" The twins asked, staring expectantly at Haruhi.

"Since we showed up without even a phone call, we'll take care of paying. Just order something from wherever you want," Kyouya offered.

"There's a sushi shop down the street. I know the owner and it's pretty upscale so-"

Tamaki shoved a hastily written note into the girl's face which she scanned before scowling and throwing it in the trash. "I'm not an idiot. I know that."

"Haru-chan, I want to eat something you cooked," Hunny innocently piped up.

"Well.. If I cook it's going to take a little while and I don't have enough ingredients.. I guess I have to go to the store. Again," Haruhi sighed thoughtfully.

"We'll pay for the food, Haruhi," Kimiko said, standing up from the table.

"Does that mean we're going to the supermarket?" Hikaru asked.

"We've never been to the commoner's market," Kaoru said.

"It'll be an adventure!" Hunny cheered, hopping onto Mori's back as everyone headed for the door.

Kimiko and Kyouya walked out together, leaving only Tamaki who had stopped by the little memorial for Haruhi's mom and Haruhi herself inside. They were downstairs when Kimiko noticed Haruhi's father walking up the street. Given that he was a bit of an eccentric and also the neighborhood tranny, he was dressed in a woman's skirt suit and heels. His makeup was done with painstaking perfection and his long blond hair was left down to hang around his face.

He disappeared into the apartment without really noticing the group of teenagers hanging around outside of his apartment complex. When several minutes past and Haruhi and Tamaki had still not come downstairs, the twins went in search of them. When they realized Haruhi's father was back from work everyone was called back upstairs to be introduced. Kimiko already knew Ranka, as he liked to be called, and gave him a quick hug as she walked in and he gushed over how cute she looked in her peacoat and how he wished Haruhi would wear some of the cute things he bought her.

Everyone wound up sitting on the floor around the table again as introductions were made and it was revealed that Kyouya spoke with Ranka almost daily to tell him how Haruhi was fairing with the club. This angered Haruhi who had no idea this had been happening and she had wound up leaving to go to the store in a bit of a huff. The twins wanted to go with her, but she refused and said she was going alone.

"She is such a stubborn one," Ranka one sighed.

"Oh, I forgot that I said we would pay," Kimiko said, beginning to stand up. Her phone rang as she rose and she answered it without much thought. "Hello?" She asked, shrugging into her coat.

"I need you to come outside," Haka's voice informed her calmly though he sounded somewhat strained as well.

Her eyes flicked to the people seated around the table, and she tried to remain completely relaxed. "Ok. What's up?"

"You're going to be kidnapped."

A gasp slipped past her lips and her eyes widened before she could stop herself from reacting.

"You need to trust me and your uncle, Kimiko. Just come outside as if you were following Fujioka-san. It would be better if there were fewer of your friends around, but at the same time this needs to be witnessed so no one can claim you were anything but kidnapped."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later." Kimiko hung up and avoided looking at everyone who was by now giving her their full attention. She smiled weakly and headed to the door. "I should hurry if I'm going to catch her."

"Is everything alright, Kimiko?" Kyouya asked, standing up himself.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

His brows drew together and he picked up his own jacket. "I'll go with you."

"You really don't have to," she replied, fidgeting and trying to think of an excuse to get him to stay. When she couldn't think of anything, she walked out of the apartment with him at her side and walked slowly down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom step and looked over at him. "No matter what happens, know that I'll be alright, okay?"

Kyouya was about to ask her what she meant, but she turned away and began to walk down the street. She had barely made it more than a few yards when a red SUV pulled out of the street just ahead of her and stopped right in front of her. The doors flew open and Kimiko started, stepping instinctively backwards as he instinctively ran towards her.

She cried out in surprise as two men stepped out of the vehicle and Kyouya managed to get a hold of her and yank her behind him. The men were dressed in black suits, one with a shiny red shirt and the other with a pale blue and white striped shirt. Sunglasses obscured their eyes from view and made it difficult to get a good look at their faces.

"I suggest you step aside. We only want the girl," one of the men said in a low, rumble.

Kimiko glanced behind them, her shout had drawn attention and she could see the door to Haruhi's apartment opening. She also saw another SUV driving towards them from the street right behind her. It was speeding towards them and screeched to a halt behind Kimiko.

She latched on to Kyouya's arm for a moment before stretching to kiss Kyouya on the cheek. The gesture surprised him and he looked back at her to see she was offering a nervous, but real smile. "Everything will be alright," she said quietly. Her hands released Kyouya's arm as a door opened behind her.

She could hear Hunny shouting her name from the apartment and hear the sounds of footsteps running down stairs, but a hand was placed over her mouth as she stepped backwards before she was yanked rather harshly into the back of the SUV behind her.

* * *

~A/N~

Finally got around to writing another chapter! Sorry about the long wait, but I happen to think this wasn't too bad of a chapter. It's way better than the original version of this chapter that I had started to write.

Thank you very much to everyone that has read, reviewed, fave'd and alerted! Just an FYI, I'll be starting to update my LiveJournal again soon. The link is on my profile page if anyone would like to check it out. I'm going to use it to try and keep everyone up to date about new chapters, new stories and just random other stuff about fanfiction.

Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

Note: I'm writing this story in much the same way that the amazing Bisco Hatori wrote the canon we all love so much... I'm completely ignoring the fact that years are passing and no one is moving forward, no birthdays and no class promotions. At least for now. :)

**Chapter 21**

**About Time**

No matter how many times he replayed the few moments surrounding Kimiko's abduction in his mind there was always something that didn't add up. Haka was nowhere to be found when she had been taken, none of the guards had been. They had run back minutes after just when sirens began to echo through the streets.

Haka had said they had been drawn to an alley behind the apartment complex when one of the guards had been found unconscious. He wasn't sure he believed the story, but he had no proof that anything else had happened. Then there was the phone call Kimiko had gotten before they had left the apartment, something had caught her off guard and she had been unsettled by something. There was also the fact that she had reassured him everything would be alright, on the way down the stairs and then again just a moment before she was pulled away from him. She was being kidnapped and yet she had smiled and told him everything would be fine. Why would she do that? And why had she sounded so certain?

With a sigh, Kyouya stood from his desk and flicked off the lamp. He removed his glasses to rub at his tired eyes as he made his way up the steps to his bed. He was exhausted, but he doubted he would get much sleep. It had been four days since Kimiko had been taken, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

No one had claimed responsibility, there had been no ransom notes, and there had been no body. That was the best thing of all in his opinion. The lack of a body led him to believe Kimiko was still alive. If her mother or Katashi had had anything to do with her disappearance he had the feeling that her body would turn up, and that it would be a far from pretty sight. He didn't think they would just dump her somewhere, he had a feeling they would want people to see her in death and know who was responsible.

In many ways it was as if she had just disappeared from the face of the planet. There was no hint of her anywhere and no matter how hard anyone looked, whether private or public forces, no one could find any rumor of the kidnapped Aratoshi heiress.

Setting his glasses on his nightstand he practically collapsed into his bed. He could still hear Kimiko whispering in his ear, still feel her breath on his neck and the feel of her lips pressing against his cheek. He couldn't help but to wonder if those were feelings he would ever have again.

The Host Club had spent the past few days closed, refusing to entertain any guests in light of Kimiko's disappearance. There was a somberness that had settled over the entire school and a melancholic air had filled the Club room. Despite not entertaining guests the Hosts still gathered everyday in Music Room 3, yet there was always very little conversation. No one knew what to say or do, there was a void left by Kimiko's disappearance from their lives. One they hoped would always be filled again whenever a phone rang.

He fell asleep that night only to awake out of breath after watching Kimiko be taken from him once again. The dreams were not replays of the actual event, they were worse. There was always fear in Kimiko, and a real sense of danger that he had not felt when she had been taken. He'd had the dreams every night and figured they would continue until Kimiko appeared in front of him safe and sound.

* * *

The scent of the tea was relaxing. Chamomile, with a hint of orange blossom and hibiscus flower beneath it. The steam alone was soothing, but each sip of it helped to relax her as she curled up in a white armchair and stared out of the open four paned window of the second story bedroom. The scent of earth and fresh rain filled the room as the curtains fluttered and little drops of water began to sing against the window.

Taking a delicate sip of her tea, Kimiko closed her eyes and savored the warmth of it. The breeze coming in from the open window was rather chill and she knew she should close it, but she liked listening to the sound of the rain, it made a beautiful and calming symphony of noises that was much better than the silence she had found herself plunged in. Of course she could have turned on the television, or listened to music or spoken to the staff, but she chose not to. Her attention span wouldn't allow for it. She found paying attention to anything was rather difficult as all her thoughts were continually pulled back to Kyouya and the look on his face when she had stepped away from him.

Part of her wondered if he realized she had done that willingly or not. With how quickly everything had happened it was possible he hadn't noticed. She just hoped he remembered what she had told him.

'_Everything will be alright_.'

And so it would. She just had no idea when.

Four days was hardly any time at all and so far she had been told very little. The only information she had gotten had been given to her by one of her uncle's men after they had switched vehicles in a garage not far from Haruhi's. He had informed her that her fake kidnapping was an attempt to cause confusion within the Harashi family that apparently had plans to actually kidnap her. The time frame had unfortunately had to be moved up when several of the Harashi's men had been spotted in Haruhi's neighborhood. Fearing that she was in real danger, the men had been distracted and led away from Haruhi's while her uncle's men had quickly improvised and staged her abduction.

Whether there was any kind of turmoil within the Harashi family or not was unknown to her. She didn't even know how her absence was being handled by not only her friends, but her family, and her business. She honestly didn't know if her feigned abduction was being broadcast to the world or if the entire thing was being kept under wraps. She supposed she could turn on the television or read the paper, but she had no desire to do anything but sit and stare out of the window.

Her heart ached and guilt was gnawing at her for being unable to tell anyone what was going on and assure them she would be just fine. She missed everyone, their company, their friendship, their noise even. The three story six bedroom villa though one of the smaller homes she had lived in, was somehow quieter than all of the spacious mansions she had inhabited. The lower level was used by a handful of her uncle's men while another handful patrolled outside, they rotated shifts so that there was always enough beds and room in the house. It was an unassuming little home that had been built close to the turn of the nineteenth century by an Englishman with a fascination with Swiss retreats and French furniture. It had been renovated recently however and made to appear just a little more Japanese with polished wooden floors and a mix of traditional and modern Japanese furniture.

If she had been there under different circumstances she probably would have found the location and the home to be relaxing. Instead she felt lonely and empty. She wasn't sure how long she would have to spend in the house, tucked away from the rest of the world, but she hoped it wouldn't be long. She wanted to go home. She wanted a normal life, or as normal a life as she could get. She wanted to play with the twins, eat cake with Hunny and Mori, tease Tamaki, cook with Haruhi and spend time with Kyouya unwinding after doing all of the above.

Setting her tea aside and pulling her soft blanket closer, Kimiko settled into the chair and stared blankly out of the window. She hadn't slept well since she had been brought to the little home and she was exhausted, mentally as much as physically. With a tired breath, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the rain tinkling outside of the window. She wondered if Kyouya was listening to the rain too or if it was even raining in Tokyo.

* * *

Valentine's Day.

A day where girls giddily gave chocolates and sweets to those handsome boys that had caught their eyes. The boys of the Host Club had of course caught many eyes and it was for this reason that the Third Music Room was buzzing with excited chatter from groups of girls that were gathered throughout the room. They hadn't prepared any sweets, however, there had been a prohibition on sweets due to an unfortunately timed cavity on Hunny's part.

Instead the girls had been treated to a European style Valentine's celebration. The boys had dressed in finely tailored beautifully made Italian suits and had handed out exquisite red roses to their clients who had all been more than happy to take the token. Now they were relaxing with tea and snacks while the Hosts, all except for Kyouya, made their rounds.

Tamaki was flouncing his way to another table of his adoring guests in order to shower them with as much affection as he could when he noticed a black haired Ootori sitting alone at a table with his laptop. Deciding a detour was in order, he altered course and plunked himself down into a chair across from the club's vice president.

"I think the ladies enjoyed the day and I'm pretty sure that we can expect to see an abundance of sweets tomorrow now that Hunny-senpai's cavity has healed," Tamaki observed.

"I doubt you came all the way over here just to tell me that, Tamaki. What do you actually want?" Kyouya inquired monotonously.

Tamaki frowned. It had been almost four months since Kimiko had disappeared, still no trace of her had been found and no one had any idea what her fate might have been. Everyone still thought about her daily, but they had had roles to play and while it had taken some time to get back into the groove of things, they had. Except for Kyouya. He was colder than usual and spent most of his time apart from the others.

"I know it's not easy, Kyouya, but-"

"I don't want to hear it, Tamaki," Kyouya cut in icily. "I've heard the same speech from everyone else already and I have no desire to hear it from you too."

Sighing, Tamaki decided to risk the ire of his friend and reached over to push the screen of his laptop closed. "You really miss her, don't you?"

"I don't have time to deal with you and your delusions, Tamaki. Go pester someone else."

"You said that Kimiko told you everything would be alright before she was abducted. You also said that you were pretty sure she knew what was going on because of that. If she did know, like you think, do you think she would have told you that everything would be alright?" Tamaki asked seriously.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose and fought back a tired sigh. "I don't know, Tamaki."

Standing up, Tamaki gave Kyouya a bright smile. "I think she's fine and I think she knew she would be. I also think that she will show up again once everything with her mom and the Harashi family has been worked out. The others believe the same thing. Maybe you should too."

After Tamaki had left, Kyouya thought over what he had said. A part of him wanted to believe that Kimiko was just fine, he thought a part of him actually believed it too. There was just a nagging doubt in the back of his mind, a reaction to the nightmares he still had on an almost nightly basis. He had to keep watching Kimiko forced into a car with faceless men and it made hard to remember that the actual ordeal had been less frightening. It had certainly been jarring, but there was a lack of a sense of danger. He hadn't realized it at first. He hadn't felt as if he was in danger, he had been startled and concerned, but he had never felt as if there was a reason to fear for himself or Kimiko.

He had voiced such opinions to Haka, but the man who had been in charge of Kimiko's protection had not been moved. He had been very hard to contact since Kimiko had been taken and he had not been willing to share any information, whether he had any or not, no one even knew. It seemed very unlike the man who he knew cared about Kimiko as if she were his own family.

Removing his glasses, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He was tired and he had a headache. He would have liked to be as certain as Tamaki and the others apparently were that Kimiko was fine and would indeed show up unharmed and perfectly healthy once the turmoil with her mother and the Harashi family had been dealt with and they no longer proved to be a threat.

In the past months since Kimiko's abduction rumors had been flying of unrest within the Harashi family. No one knew for certain what had set of the unrest, but there was little doubt that the family was beginning to crumble. There was fighting within the family and they were supposedly being hassled by other yakuza families as well. The other families saw an opportunity to gain new ground and more men and resources if they could take over the Harashi's failing syndicate. Those were the rumors at least.

Kyouya sighed and put his glasses back on. A thought had struck him then and a frown took residence on his face, pulling his cell phone from his pocket he stood up and made his way into the privacy of the changing room. With so many guests to entertain all of the Hosts were busy, he knew it was safe to assume that he wouldn't be disturbed for a little while. Scrolling through his contacts he found Haka's name and stared at it while debating just what to say to get the most out of the man who had been unwilling to tell him much of anything so far.

Pushing the talk button he listened to the line connect and then begin to ring.

"Ootori-san," Haka greeted upon answering his phone. "How can I help you? There's been no news on Kimiko's abduction if that's why-"

"She told me everything would be alright. I just want to know if that was the truth."

A silence followed his statements. He was just about to check to be sure that Haka hadn't hung up on him or that the connection hadn't been lost when the man on the other end of the line sighed. "Why would she lie?"

The line went dead after that and Kyouya blinked at his cellphone. The answer hadn't been exactly what he wanted, but at the same time it was still an answer. Why _would_ she lie? He had wondered the same thing himself, hadn't he? She had had no reason to assure him of anything, not when she was supposed to be in danger seeing as how she was being kidnapped.

That thought sparked yet another one. Something that hadn't occurred to him before. He hadn't been there to witness it, but the twins had once questioned him about Kimiko's kidnapping that had taken place years before. They had been concerned after what they thought was an overreaction on her part when they had played what they had thought was a harmless joke on her.

She had been extremely upset over what they had done, he remembered how the twins had whined that she had ignored them for awhile after the incident. He also remembered how hard it had been for her to speak about what had happened to her when she had been kidnapped by her own mother. It had not been easy for her to talk about, not that it should have been, but it had been obvious that she carried a fear of the event still.

If she had feared being kidnapped, then why had she been so relaxed when the two men had pulled her into their SUV four months before? He was beginning to think that Tamaki and the others might have been correct in believing that she really was alright.

* * *

Stretching with a wide yawn, Kimiko lightly tapped Sora on the nose when the fluffy white cat meowed unhappily and stretched herself while digging her claws into Kimiko's stomach. Sora shook her head in response to Kimiko's tap and lazily removed herself fro her perch on Kimiko's stomach. She took a few languorous steps before collapsing and curling up on a bundle of blankets and sheets.

"What I wouldn't give to be a cat," Kimiko mumbled, scratching behind Sora's ears as she slid to the edge of the bed. "Sleep, eat, and play. That's all you do and it seems really easy. I bet I could out cat you any day."

Sora mewed grumpily and stretched so that Kimiko could no longer pet her.

"You don't think so, huh? Well, I do, you lazy ball fluff." Kissing the top of the cat's head and ignoring a lazy paw swipe, Kimiko got out of bed and went to the window to open the curtains to see what the day outside looked like.

Not being able to set foot out of the house her window was the closest she could get to the outside world. Today the sun was streaming through the tall trees and providing a subtle warmth that was enhanced by the sound of the bird song filtering through the window to her. Fully opening the curtains to allow as much of the sunlight in as possible, she stretched her arms over her head and sighed at the welcome feel of her muscles waking up and loosening.

"It's Saturday, isn't it, Sora?" Kimiko asked the sleeping cat, who she regularly spoke to since there wasn't really anyone else around. The cat ignored, as usual. With a sigh, she shook her head and made her way to the bathroom down the hall to clean up.

After she had showered and dressed, she made her way back to her room and sat down on the bed to pet and rubbed Sora's chin. "What should we do today? Maybe play some video games, I'm getting pretty good if I don't say so myself. Or maybe we should watch a few movies? Or read the stack of fashion magazines I've ignored so that I'm up to date on the styles of the season?"

"Or maybe you can have lunch with your cousin."

Kimiko blinked at the red head that stood from the armchair by the window. It took her a moment to realize he was there before she grinned and stood up to run at him and practically tackle him. She hugged him tightly, happy to see a familiar face. She hadn't seen him since Christmas time when he had brought Sora and spent a few days of the holiday with her. He couldn't visit her often, but when he did it always brightened Kimiko's mood. He always brought news of how the Host Club was faring and would usually give her updates on what was going on with her mother and the Harashi family. She had a feeling there was a lot he didn't tell her and though she was curious, she didn't press him for answers. He was the only person to visit her. Haka wouldn't come anywhere near the house or even call her, it was too risky since he was likely being watched by people they didn't want to find her.

"You're going to choke me to death if you don't let go of me," Ritsu chuckled.

"Sorry. I'm just glad to see you. It's a bit lonely here all by myself with only Sora for company." She gestured to the still sleeping cat. "And you see how much fun she is."

"Well, lets have some lunch and do some catching up. It'll give you someone to talk to besides your cat."

"Sounds good. I'd like to hear how everyone's doing. Last time you said that everyone was still having a hard time.. adjusting. How are they now?"

"Better. From what I've heard most of the club believes that you're fine and will walk back into school one day as if nothing happened."

Looping her arm through her cousin's and walking alongside him, Kimiko frowned. "You said most. Who doesn't believe that?"

"Kyouya Ootori. Though I have it on good authority that he may have recently changed his mind."

"What do you mean?"

Ritsu grinned. "Haka said something about a phone call he got from your little boyfriend-ow!"

Kimiko playfully glared at Ritsu after pinching his arm. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Yet. Ow! Stop pinching me."

"What happened with the phone call, Ritsu?" Kimiko pressed.

"I don't really know. Something about you're not a liar."

"Ah." Kimiko nodded in understanding and smiled down at the floor. "Well, that's good. I don't want them worrying over me. So I'm glad to hear they're being hopeful. I can't wait to go home. Not only will I be able to see everyone again, I'll be able to actually go outside," she groaned in annoyance. "It's been way too long since I've been able to go out that I think I'm going to go crazy soon. I've been here since November and it's now the end of February, that's four months of not leaving this house."

"It may not be too much longer," Ritsu said, giving Kimiko a knowing smile.

* * *

Summer break. A time for relaxing. For staying in bed late and enjoying the freedom of doing whatever you wanted. For peace and quiet. At least that's what Kyouya had hoped for. He should have known better.

"Haruhi is missing!" Tamaki screeched into his cell phone. "I bet they couldn't pay the rent and she was sold into slave labor!"

"Slave.. labor?" Mori repeated monotonously

"Poor Haru-chan!" Hunny cried.

"Have you tried her cell?" The twins asked lazily.

"What are you talking about? Haruhi doesn't have anything like that!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Unless she was given one by some underground association of-"

Kyouya sighed and pushed his glasses into position on his nose as he sat up in his own bed. "Sorry to ruin your delusion, Tamaki, but Haruhi is in Karuizawa."

There was a pause on the phone line that connected the Host Club all together.

"Haruhi was kidnapped and forced into slave labor... In Karuizawa?" Tamaki asked, confused by the idea of anyone being forced to work in the little town that was known for being a nice and relaxing summer vacation spot.

* * *

"Ritsu!"

The next head of the Kasanoda syndicate was nearly knocked off of his feet as a body collided with his and arms wrapped themselves around his neck. He chuckled and patted his cousin's back until she released him to grin up at him.

"Hey, Kimiko. Miss me?" He teased.

"You have no idea," Kimiko replied dramatically. "It's so boring here. And lonely. There's nothing to do and I can't even go outside. The weather has been amazing lately and I can't even enjoy it. Plus, you haven't visited in over three months. I've been so bored," she whined.

He ruffled her hair when she pouted at him and he was reminded of how she used to get almost whatever she wanted from her father with the same look. "Then I guess you'll be happy to hear that you won't have to be here much longer."

"Has something happened? I'm not exactly kept informed of anything, Ritsu, so why don't we have some lunch and you can explain."

"Why don't we go out for lunch?" He suggested, a grin forming on his face that was usually set into a scowl that frightened almost everyone other than Kimiko.

She looked at him with a slight frown. "I'm not allowed to leave, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, but remember that I said you wouldn't have to be here much longer?"

Kimiko blinked at her cousin, his eyes were glimmering and she could tell there was something he wanted to tell her. "Ritsu, what's going on?"

He was just opening his mouth to speak when someone else entered the spacious living room of her uncle's rarely used retreat just outside of Karuizawa. It was an out of the way place that was busy in summer, but would provide a lot of privacy so that anyone could get away from the troubles of the world.

"Haka?" Kimiko questioned, surprised at seeing the older man who she hadn't seen since her faked kidnapping. "If you're here.."

"I've come to take you home," he told her with a smile when she trailed off.

"I can.. I can go home?"

He nodded once. "Yes, your uncle has received word this morning that the Harashi family and your mother no longer prove to be any threat to you... Or anyone else for that matter."

She bit at the inside of her lip and her brows drew together. "So my mother... Is she.." She trailed off again, unsure how exactly she wanted to finish her inquiry.

"Dead. Her husband as well." His answers were blunt and to the point and he didn't seem at all bothered to be telling Kimiko her mother was no longer in the world of the living.

Looking away, Kimiko stared at a picture of a sakura tree in bloom and sighed. She wasn't sure if she was upset at all or not. The woman had been her mother, had given birth to her, but whether she had ever actually loved her was up for debate. A piece of her grieved for the loss, but most of her guiltily felt relieved. The person that had tormented her, had used and then killed her father, was now dead. She felt it was deserved and for a moment she thought of asking Haka how they had been killed, but thought better of it when she glimpsed Ritsu looking almost guiltily at anything but her. She probably didn't want to know the answer. Not because she wouldn't be able to handle it, but because while they were family, her uncle's world and her own were very different. She thought it a good idea they remain that way.

"Home will be good," Kimiko murmured, a soft smile lighting her face. "I'd really like to see everyone again."

"If you would like to see your friends, then perhaps you should stay here," Haka suggested.

"Why?" Kimiko asked.

"Because I happen to know that the Ootori helicopter is on its way to Karuizawa as we speak. The boys of the Host Club you're so fond of are on it. They should be arriving within the next five minutes. They were headed for a local pension where your friend Haruhi is helping the owner. Misuzu, for the summer."

Her heart sped up in her chest as she stared at Haka. She had expected to have a few hours to prepare before being reunited with everyone, and she had sort of hoped to see Kyouya first. Knowing they were in the same town as she was, just minutes away, was a big surprise. All she wanted to do was see everyone again, but having to explain what had happened was not something she was looking forward to. There wasn't much she could actually talk about after all.

"Go clean up," Ritsu advised, squeezing her shoulder to break her out of her thoughts. "I know where the pensione is. We can walk there so you can get some fresh air for once."

"I can go outside!" She squealed happily. "Finally! Thank you, Ritsu, I'll go clean up then we'll go." She skipped to her cousin, give him a quick kiss on the cheek before practically sprinting down the hall to her room.

* * *

"I'll be okay from here, Ritsu," Kimiko said. "I can see the pension up ahead and it's best I go alone. Thank you for walking with me." She gave him a hug and a reassuring smile before waving and beginning to walk towards the white picket fence that surrounded a large, well kept western styled bed and breakfast.

She had left her hair down to help keep her face from being too clearly visible and had also picked up a light weight, but floppy woven hat in the marketplace on the way. It kept her face hidden beneath its shady brim and she hoped it would keep anyone from noticing her too soon. With a shaking hand, she reached for the gate to push it open and took a deep breath as she stepped through it.

* * *

Kyouya took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving the page of the book he was reading. The others were busy trying to win a contest to see who was the most refreshing in the eyes of Misuzu, the cross dressing owner of the pension, had begun to see who would be able to stay in the last available room. Having no desire to play along or stay at the pension by himself he had decided to not take part in the contest and to instead sit outside in solitude and read.

He heard footsteps on the wood of the porch behind him, but he didn't bother to turn to see who it was that was there. He figured it was just another guest out to enjoy the day. When a shadow fell over him and the book he was reading, an annoyed frown took residence on face. With a sigh, he glanced up from his book to see who was blocking the sun and kindly ask them to move.

A young woman stood before him, her long hair fluttering around the shoulders of a thin dress that reached to her knees. A floppy straw hat sat on her head, its brim effectively casting her face into shadow. A pale hand reached for the hat and began to remove it only to have a sudden gust of window pull it from her grasp.

The woman made a startled noise of surprise and tried to reach for the hat, but it was tumbling across the lawn already and she instead brushed her hair from her face and tucked some of it behind her ears. He blinked at the dark haired girl in front of him as she looked up from brushing her hair from her eyes.

His heart skipped a beat in his chest before it sped up. His book absently tumbled from his hands on to the table, causing some of his tea to slosh out of his cup. He stood slowly, at least it felt that way. It felt as if everything had slowed and quieted, like the world had suddenly stopped turning. He felt light, weightless as if he were in a dream.

He took a single step forward without even realizing he was moving. The one step brought him close enough to the brown haired, blue eyed girl that he could feel strands of her hair caressing his face as it danced in the wind.

Part of him was certain that he was dreaming. That Kimiko wasn't actually standing only centimeters away. That she was just a figment of his imagination. But he could smell the scent of cherry blossoms in her hair, a familiar scent since he happened to know she was fond of anything scented with cherry blossoms. It was the only fragrance she would wear. Her hand brushed against his when she lifted it to tuck a few strands of her behind her ear again and suddenly everything became real again. He wasn't in a dream, he was on the porch of a pension in Karuizawa and Kimiko really was standing in front of him.

"It's about time you showed up."

* * *

~A/N~

Hopefully that wasn't very choppy, I tried my best to make it all flow together as best as I could. I know that there weren't a lot of answers given in this chapter, but I plan on explaining everything in the next chapter.

Thank you much to everyone who read, reviewed, faved! You make writing this worth while. Thank you!

Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 22**

**Explaining**

"Is that it?" Kimiko asked, a grin beginning to form on her lips despite how hard she was trying to keep a straight face. Her eyes were dancing with amusement and she could feel her heart fluttering happily in her chest. Being so close to Kyouya, knowing she could go home and rejoin him and the others, and finally have a normal life was a feeling that made her feel lighter and happier than she had ever been.

Kyouya smirked. "There is one more thing," he said.

She didn't even have time to ask what he meant when he stepped forward, closing the little distance between them to pull her close and kiss her.

"Hey, Kyouya! Those blasted twins are... Kyouya?"

Pulling away, Kyouya sighed in annoyance and looked past Kimiko to see a very confused looking Tamaki blinking at him like a lost child. "What is it this time, Tamaki? I was busy."

Kimiko could only stand where she was and stare at Kyouya while catching her breath, she had never been kissed like that and she had never expected anything like that from the Ootori who was always so in control. It had been amazing and now she felt as if she were floating. She figured her day could only get better from there. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she turned to face and Tamaki and smiled while leaning back into Kyouya who possessively, or possibly protectively, took one of her hands in his. Not only was her day going to be a good one, but it was apparently to be full of surprises as well.

"Hello, Tamaki. It's been awhile," Kimiko greeted, raising her free hand to offer a small wave.

She blinked in confusion when she was suddenly standing a few feet from where she had been and Tamaki face planted into the ground where she and Kyouya had been standing only moments before.

Pushing himself up from the porch, Tamaki rubbed at his sore, reddened nose. "That was mean. I was only trying to welcome Kimiko back."

"How about doing so in a more civilized manner then," Kyouya suggested blandly. "I would prefer you didn't smother her to death right after she's returned."

A big grin formed on Tamaki's face. "Aw, Kyouya's in lo-"

"Shut up, idiot," Kyouya grumbled, walking past with Kimiko pulled along behind him so he could push Tamaki back down.

The blond emitted a surprised squeak and an umph as he once again collided with the porch.

"Is he alright?" Kimiko asked out of concern as they walked away from the mumbling, pouting blond.

"He'll be fine."

"Ok, but where are we going?"

"To have lunch before everyone finds out you're back."

"Want me all to yourself, do you?" Kimiko asked cheekily, grinning as she sped up the best she could in her high-heeled wedge sandals.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kyouya replied without looking back, he adjusted his glasses with an unconscious push of his finger while continuing to walk toward the gate leading out of the pension.

"Then perhaps we should hurry," Kimiko laughed when she heard a shout behind her that she knew originated from Tamaki.

With an annoyed sigh Kyouya pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped it open. Speed dial came in handy considering it was only a matter of about three seconds before he was speaking into his phone and about a minute before a black car pulled up beside them as they walked down the street.

"After you," Kyouya said, opening the door and gesturing her into the car as several voices started shouting behind them.

Kimiko paused as she stepped into the car and blinked at everyone running towards them. She flashed a grin and gave a quick wave before ducking into the car. Kyouya followed her a moment later and they were off, quite literally leaving Tamaki and the others in the dust.

Turning to look out the back window Kimiko couldn't help but to smile at Tamaki as he shouted and flapped his arms wildly at the car they were driving away in. The twins were beside him, looking rather angry, and she was sure they were probably saying words that were far less kind than Tamaki's. Hunny was sitting on Mori's shoulders, Mori was as stoic and blank faced as ever, but Hunny looked to be sniffling in disappointment.

"I feel a little bad for showing up and then just leaving without even saying hello to everyone," Kimiko said as she sat straight in her seat and turned towards Kyouya.

"They'll live," Kyouya remarked dryly as he shut his phone off and put it in his pocket.

"So where are we going?" Kimiko asked curiously.

"Anywhere they won't find us."

Kimiko chuckled. "You hadn't thought that far ahead? I think you've lost your touch, Kyouya."

"I was a little distracted."

"I may have an idea. I happen to know someone who has a home out here that I think we could use."

"Who?"

Kimiko simply grinned in reply. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Pulling a new shiny black phone from her shoulder bag, she flipped it open and pushed a button before bringing the phone to her ear. "Haka, I need a place to hide out for few hours. I was thinking the old house on the mountain." She paused as she listened to the reply. "Yes I know, Haka, and that's fine by me. Can you just make sure it'll be unlocked by the time we get there?" Another pause. "Thanks." Hanging up and placing her phone back in her purse, Kimiko turned and smiled at Kyouya. "We need to make a little stop at the store before we head out. Hope you don't mind, but lunch may be a little late."

Kyouya raised an eyebrow at Kimiko's chipper mood and secretive phone call, but didn't question it. He shrugged a shoulder instead. "I had eaten already anyway."

"So had I. We'll eat dinner then and I'm assuming you'd like to talk in the meantime. We'll be back late though and you know Tamaki is going to throw a fit, right?"

He grimaced and rubbed his temples in response to the headache he knew would be coming. "Don't remind me."

* * *

"Whose house is this?" Kyouya asked as they drove through a well kept, but obviously little used paved road in the forest.

"An old friend's," Kimiko replied cryptically with a smile.

"Do they have a name?"

Her smiled widened. "Yes, they do, but I'm not in the mood to divulge it."

The car pulled to a stop in front of the main house of a large home that looked to be close to a hundred years old. It was a Western styled lodge built of wood and brick, it was gigantic and stood three stories tall. It was rather imposing in the glare of the afternoon sun, but it was nestled comfortably in the trees that surrounded it and provided not only shade, but privacy from the few other homes nearby.

"Oh," Kimiko said, turning back to Kyouya, as the door opened and she began to step out of the vehicle. "Don't bother trying to look up who owns the place. You'll never find even a single piece of paper that says it even exists." With a wink and a skip in her step, she flounced towards the door.

With a sigh, Kyouya slipped out of the car and followed after Kimiko who was already in the gigantic house. All he had to guide him to where she was was the rustle of the bags she had carried with her. He found her in a pristine kitchen the size of which was impressive even to him. She was rifling through one of the grocery bags and was just pulling out a canister of loose leaf green tea when he walked up to the other side of the island counter she was using.

"Tea?" She asked.

"For a house that appears empty it's quite well kept," Kyouya observed.

Kimiko shrugged and turned to a cupboard that she opened and retrieved a kettle from. Filling it with water from the tap she set it on the stove and turned the knob to turn on the burner. She checked to be sure the flame was actually on before turning back to Kyouya. "Of course it is. There's a groundskeeper, he and his wife take care of the place year round."

"You're really not going to tell me what this place is are you?"

She grinned and leaned her elbows onto the island before resting her chin on her fists. "Is it really bothering you that badly to not know? Poor Kyouya, for once in his life he isn't in complete control of a situation." She stood straight again and glanced behind her at the stove. "This place is just what it looks like; a retreat. A place to escape. I spent a lot of summers here with my cousin when I was younger."

"It's your uncle's?" Kyouya asked curiously.

Her eyes cornered back over to Kyouya and she shook her head. "No, it's.." She sighed and walked to the stove as the kettle began to quietly whistle. "It was... my aunt's."

Knowing he wasn't likely to get anymore of an answer he settled for watching her carefully pour two cups of steaming tea before she slid one across the counter to him and leaned against the opposite side. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the tea. She didn't look much different than he remembered her, at least at first glance, but now that they were alone and he could really see and study her he was beginning to see subtle changes. Her body appeared thinner, but it was hard to tell how much weight she had lost if much because of the dress she wore. Her usually bright blue eyes weren't as playful and full of life. Her skin was paler than he remembered too and now that he could get a good look at her, she looked tired, worn.

"What happened, Kimiko?" Kyouya asked, quietly, seriously.

The tone of his voice made Kimiko stare into her tea for a moment. Slowly setting the cup down onto the counter, she sighed and looked up at Kyouya. She managed a weary smile for a moment and stood up straight. "Lets go have a seat in the living room, shall we?"

Picking up her tea cup she led the way out of the kitchen and into a luxurious living room with plush carpets of fake fur strewn across the floor. It had the feel of a hunting lodge without the dead animal heads that usually adorned the walls of actual hunting lodges. It was warm, inviting.

Kyouya took a seat on an off white leather couch, setting his tea cup on a table that looked like a slab of polished petrified wood held up by a tree stump.

"Some of the décor is in need of updating," Kimiko remarked as she noticed Kyouya's glance at the table. "The place isn't used often so not much has changed over the years." She sat down beside Kyouya, she chose to sit cross legged while facing him and holding her tea cup in her lap. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him and prepared to dive right into her story.

"By now I'm sure you know the kidnapping was set up." She glanced from her tea to look at Kyouya who had a slight frown on his face. Feeling guilty, Kimiko looked away and stared out of one of the windows. "I'm really sorry for worrying everyone, for worrying you..." She trailed off to blink down at the warm hand that had lightly taken a hold of hers. Taking a deep breath she continued on with her story. "My uncle had the entire thing staged, I knew about it, but I didn't know it would be happening when it did. I was expecting to have another day, but things didn't go as planned. Some of the Harashi's men were found skulking around Haruhi's neighborhood and my uncle was already well aware that there was a plan to have me kidnapped. He hoped that by abducting me there would be confusion between the Harashi family and my mother. That my kidnapping would cause confusion and make everyone distrustful of one another. He wanted the family to destroy itself from the inside."

"Did it?" Kyouya inquired.

She shook her head and stared down at her tea cup. "I know there was unrest within the family, that they were loosing footing and respect. They were being pressured by other powerful families I know, but to what end I was never told."

"There was speculation of trouble within some yakuza families over the last several weeks," Kyouya informed her before relating the little information he had heard concerning the inner turmoil of the Harashi family.

Kimiko nodded after he had finished and sipped her tea thoughtfully. "I figured there would be some kind of unrest, but my updates came from my cousin and I'm pretty sure he left a lot of the not so.. _pretty_ details from me. I'm not an idiot, though, I know people were hurt, were killed. I also know that there is a lot he was probably told to keep from me, though I think if I asked, he would tell me. To be honest, I don't want to know much. It's better that way. I love my cousin and my uncle, but their world is not mine and I think it's best to keep myself distant from it. My uncle agrees."

"You've still never told me just what your uncle does," Kyouya hinted.

Kimiko looked up and smiled softly. "Didn't I?" She quipped playfully. "I would have thought it was fairly obvious at this point."

"Yakuza?" Kyouya questioned with a raised brow.

Her reply was a single, short nod.

"You seem to have bad luck when it comes to mafia families so I agree with your uncle. You should keep your distance," Kyouya agreed.

She smiled again. "If I didn't know you better I would think you were worried about my well being."

"Moron," Kyouya replied, tapping her lightly on the forehead as if she were a child being scolded.

"What was that for?" Kimiko asked with a frown.

"For being a moron," Kyouya retorted.

"Why am I moron?"

"You just are," he replied evasively, pushing his glasses up on his nose and looking away.

Staring into her tea for a moment Kimiko sighed before looking back up at Kyouya. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening. I'm sorry I made you, and everyone else, worry. It really was for the best."

"I understand why things happened the way they did, but you should have had more faith in your friends. In me."

Kimiko blinked at Kyouya, surprised by his words. Her mouth worked, but she couldn't find any words to speak coherently.

"Everyone was really worried at first, but then Tamaki found out what you had said to me. That you would be okay. The moment he heard that, he believed it. The others did too," Kyouya said.

"And you didn't?" Kimiko asked quietly.

He met her eyes evenly. "Who would be alright after having to fake their own kidnapping because their mother and her husband's family are trying to kill them?"

She nodded slowly. "Good point. I won't have to worry about that anymore though. My mother is dead. So is her husband."

"And Katsuro?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but considering the only reason he was remotely respected was because of his uncle, I'm going to assume he is no longer a threat. Without his uncle around to give him support he has nothing."

Silence enveloped the two for a few moments. Kimiko stared into her now empty tea cup and Kyouya stared out of one of the windows into the shaded forest.

"Is it wrong that I don't feel all that sad about my own mother's death?" Kimiko questioned quietly, blinking back confused tears. "She was my mom, but I don't feel much of anything. Shouldn't I be sad? Or-" She sucked in a breath, and raised her eyes to meet Kyouya's when he placed a hand under her chin and tilted it up.

"It's not wrong. She may have given birth to you, but she was never a mother to you."

Wiping away the small trails of tears that had slipped from her eyes, Kimiko sniffed and stood up from the couch. "I should start dinner. It's going to take a little while to prep everything."

"Kimiko," Kyouya said, carefully grabbing on to her hand before she could step past him. "You don't have anything to run from anymore."

She smiled sadly. "I know. It doesn't make any of what happened any less painful. I don't want the past to define me, at least not entirely, I need to move forward. To push through all of this and just put it behind me. I have a chance to start fresh and I'm going to take it."

Releasing her hand, Kyouya watched her thoughtfully as she walked to the kitchen. It was obvious she still had a lot on her mind, but that she was struggling to overcome and move passed all of it. She wanted to be strong, and she was, but she was trying to do everything on her own. Something she didn't have to do.

Rising from the couch he followed after Kimiko to find her rifling through the bags on the counter. She was setting everything out in on the island, except for the fresh vegetables which were set by the sink to be rinsed.

"More tea?" She asked, glancing up at him as she bunched all of the bags together and opened what looked like a drawer to place them inside.

"Please," he answered, impressed by her deftness in the kitchen. He would have been lost with all of the different drawers and cabinets, not to mention all of the objects inside.

"Let me warm the water, it got a little cold. It'll be just a minute."

"Are you just going to pretend you're alright or-"

"I am alright, Kyouya," Kimiko cut in. Turning away from the kettle she had just placed back onto the stove.

"You said yourself that no one could be alright after what you've been through," he countered.

She sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging and her head drooping towards her chest. "I just want to move on. I want things to go back to how they were before I had to leave. I don't want to be stuck in all of the bad things that have happened over the past few years. I want to be free. I've never really had the chance to do what I wanted... My life has been ruled by my mother for a long time, I don't want to live under the weight of her shadow anymore." She saw the shadow on the floor before Kyouya's feet came into view, but she still stiffened briefly when he wrapped his arms around her. When she relaxed into the embrace, she wrapped her own arms around him and tightened her hold slightly for just a moment. "At the risk of sounding sentimental and girly I have to admit that I missed you. It's really nice to be back."

"Just wait until we see the others. You might just change your mind," Kyouya replied, pulling away with a slight smirk on his face.

"All I ask is that you not let the twins or Tamaki hug me to death. I just got of one life threatening situation and suffocation by hug does not sound fun."

* * *

Raising a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned Kimiko leaned her head back into the leather seat of the car driving them back into town. She blinked the tears that filled her tired eyes when she had yawned away and stared blankly out of the window. It was dark now, the sun had set hours before and street lights threw patches of light at even intervals throughout the road. They were hypnotizing in a way and her already heavy eyelids began to droop.

"It would be nice if everyone were asleep. I'm exhausted and don't really feel like talking all night," Kimiko said, blinking awake while shifting her position so that she was staring at Kyouya rather than out the window.

"Wishful thinking," Kyouya replied. "It's still early and everyone is waiting at the pension."

Kimiko sighed. "Yeah, I know. Maybe they'll let me tell them everything over breakfast..." She trailed off to yawn again, covering her mouth politely with her hand.

"Where will you be staying?" Kyouya asked, his voice back to his usual monotone, though there was a hint of curiosity.

"I hadn't figured that part out yet. I was going to stay at the pension, but the twins got the last room I hear."

"Everyone else is staying at Hunny-senpai's cottage. I'm sure you'd be welcome."

She smiled. "I'll ask Haka when we get to the pension. He may have already made plans."

"Where has he been? It's strange to see you without him," Kyouya pointed out.

"He's not been far, but he's been busy. He trusts your men so he's been working with my uncle in America to ensure that all information regarding my mother's '_other_' life is not revealed to the press. They have their hands full with that right now. There is a lot out there that can compromise the Aratoshi name and we don't intend to let that happen. He'll be meeting us at the pension." She trailed off to yawn behind her hand again before slumping tiredly in her seat.

A comfortably silence fell over them as the car quietly rumbled its way through the nearly empty streets of Karuizawa. When they pulled up in front of the pension Kimiko stared out of the window at the lights blazing on the lower floor with a sigh she glanced at Kyouya.

"This is going to be interesting," she said.

"That's one way of putting it," Kyouya replied, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

The door on Kimiko's side opened and she heaved another sigh before sliding out of the car and grinning up at Haka who had been the one to open the door. "Hi, Haka. How is everything progressing?"

"Slowly, but thankfully none of the press seem to be aware of the truth about your mother. Unfortunately, the same can not be said about her husband. It's quite well known that he had, at the very least, ties to the mafia. It's been difficult to keep everything under wraps as much as possible, but so far everything has gone well enough. There should be nothing to worry about. Your aunt and uncle are doing very well at misdirecting the press with the help of some of the family contacts."

"That's good to hear. Avoiding the scandal this whole thing could cause is best for everyone. The family would be ruined..." Kimiko shook her head and turned to Kyouya as he stepped up beside her. " Well, we should probably get this reunion over with before Tamaki gives himself a heart attack."

The two began to walk toward the pension, but Kimiko paused on the way up the steps to the door to turn back to Haka. "I'd forgotten to ask, Haka, where am I going to be staying?"

"With the others at the Haninozuka cottage. Your things have already been delivered and Haninozuka is aware that you'll be staying, he's kept that to himself though I believe," Haka replied.

"Thank you, Haka," Kimiko said, smiling before turning back to the door and looking at Kyouya. "I don't suppose we could just head over to Hunny-senpai's?"

"Do you really want to be woken up in the middle of the night by Tamaki? You know he wouldn't let you sleep," Kyouya pointed out.

"Good point, he'd cry all over me and that would just be creepy."

"Ready?" Kyouya asked, reaching to open the door.

"No," she groaned pathetically.

Kyouya grinned, twisting the door knob and opening the door. There was the sound of chatter, but it quieted as Kyouya and Kimiko stepped through the door. The twins, Haruhi, Tamaki, Hunny and Mori were all gathered at a table with snacks and water laid out on it. They all looked at Kimiko as she chuckled and offered a small wave.

"Hi guys."

Tamaki practically burst into happy tears as he stood up and charged towards her to engulf her in a bone crushing hug that she barely managed to struggle out of enough to glare at a chuckling Kyouya.

"My precious daughter, daddy was so worried!"

"Get off her, Boss," Hikaru complained, trying to tug Tamaki away from Kimiko with little success.

"Yeah, stop hogging her," Kaoru added, beginning to tug on Tamaki as well. "We all want to see her."

Sniffling, Tamaki released Kimiko only so she could be pounced on by the twins who started to drag her towards the table.

"You know it wasn't very nice of you to leave without even saying hi," Kaoru told her.

"You know you owe us, right?" Hikaru asked.

Kimiko chuckled at the devilish looks she was receiving from the twins and tried to look like she wasn't at all frightened of what they might do as pay back for her early escape with Kyouya.

"You two should be nice to Kimi-chan!" Hunny cut in, trying his best to look intimidating and grown up as he scolded the twins. "It's not very nice to pick on people, Hika-chan, Kao-chan."

"We were only joking," the twins sulked.

A hand placed itself on her head and lightly ruffled her hair. Glancing behind her, she smiled up at Mori who returned her smile warmly. "Hi, Mori-senpai. It's good to see you again."

He gave a grunt of agreement and took his seat at the table again. Kimiko smiled at Haruhi who hadn't stood up and offered a little wave of greeting. She was about to sit down into a chair herself, but Tamaki rushed up behind her and once again engulfed her in a bone crushing hug.

"Let.. go.. of me, Tamaki," Kimiko struggled to stay while Tamaki wept dramatically onto her shoulder. "Thank you," she sighed when Kyouya finally decided on intervening and wrenched the sobbing blond away from her.

"How could you be so cruel, Kyouya!" Tamaki cried, turning his grief stricken face onto Kyouya, tears still spilling from his eyes. "You know how worried about Kimiko we all were, but you.. you.."

"Wanted a few moments of peace before you turned into the bumbling idiot you usually are?" Kyouya finished blandly, shouldering past Tamaki to take a seat beside Kimiko who was about to take her own seat at the table.

Kimiko squeaked in surprise, however, when her plans to sit down beside Kyouya were altered by a tug in the opposite direction and she practically fell across Kaoru's lap. Kaoru looked slightly embarrassed, but managed a devious grin and pulled her into a seat between himself and Hikaru who smirked at her.

"You could have just asked me to sit with you," Kimiko grumbled.

"Too easy," Hikaru shrugged.

"So, Kimi-chan, how have you been?" Hunny asked, a plate of half eaten raspberry filled white cake in front of him.

He was clutching Usa chan in front of him and looking at her with such innocent eyes that she had to shake her head and remind herself that he was still older than her. "I've been alright," she replied, glancing at Kyouya before adding, "Given the situation, anyway." Chuckling unconvincingly, she looked down at her hands in her lap and sighed.

"You know," the twins began, each putting an arm over her shoulder and leaning extremely close to her.

"We don't know the situation," Kaoru said.

"So maybe you should explain it to us," finished Hikaru.

She chuckled again, she had the distinct feeling that if she didn't start explaining her absence from the group she was going to be in for a long night of the twins' antics to get her to talk. Deciding it was best to just be honest, which she had intended from the start, she related the same story to the table of avid listeners as she had to Kyouya. Kyouya, having already heard her story, sipped at his tea while she spoke and occasionally answered a question.

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone," she finished, glancing around the table. "I had no choice though. It was in everyone's best interest, especially mine, that no one have any idea where I was or what had really happened that day outside of Haruhi's."

"We understand, Kimi-chan," Hunny chirped, grinning widely. "And we're all happy you're back!"

She was about to thank Hunny for his words, but her own were choked off as Tamaki once again lunged at her and engulfed her in another hug. Detaching herself from the much too dramatic blond with a scowl, Kimiko swatted him away in annoyance.

"I'm happy to be back too, but if you don't stop hugging me, Tamaki, I'm going to hurt you," Kimiko snapped.

"What about us?"

Kimiko was turning her attention back to the twins when the two pounced on her and actually managed to knock the chair she was in over so that the three of them ended up in an ungraceful heap on the floor. It was as she was struggling out of the twins' grips that Tamaki thought the idea of a 'group' hug was great and jumped on top of them all. He was shortly after followed by Hunny, who bounced over and gleefully hopped on top of the squirming pile.

Kyouya, Haruhi and Mori watched the display over the next few minutes, which including much shouting and angry cursing as well as yelps from Kimiko, but did nothing to help the buried girl escape. When Kimiko finally emerged out of the pile she was rather rumpled and angrily glared at Kyouya who simply smirked in reply before taking a casual sip of his tea.

Huffing, Kimiko dropped into the now empty seat beside him, grumbling to herself about how she should have just stayed hidden in the mountains forever.

"You know we would have found you eventually," Kyouya pointed out matter-of-factly. "As I once mentioned to Haruhi, you'd have to leave the country to avoid being found. Even then, though, I have my ways."

"I never said I had a problem being found by _you_," Kimiko replied arrogantly. "You aren't nearly as-"

"Kyouya and Kimiko, sitting in a-" Tamaki didn't get much further with his merrily sung tune when Kimiko grabbed what was left of Hunny's cake and threw it him.

She smirked in triumph as the pastry slid off of Tamaki's facing, leaving him covered in raspberry filling and frosting. That was until she looked over at Hunny to see that his lip was quivering while he stared at his now empty place setting.

The twins burst into laughter at the sight of Tamaki covered in cake, Haruhi was grinning behind her tea cup and Kyouya was watching her with veiled amusement as she stared at Hunny. Mori was attempting to console Hunny as he sniffled over his stolen cake and hugged Usa-chan tightly to his chest.

"I-I'm so sorry, Hunny-senpai!" Kimiko stuttered, watching as the senior sniffled tearfully, glimmering little tears slipping from his big eyes. "I'll.. I'll buy a whole cake tomorrow to make up for it, okay?"

"I'd rather have a homemade cake," Hunny sniffed.

"Then I'll make you a cake myself," Kimiko said quickly.

"Really? Thank you so much, Kimi-chan!" Hunny replied brightly, smiling happily at Kimiko.

Kimiko blinked at the senior before groaning and slumping back into her seat. "I had completely forgotten how good he is at playing the cute little kid card," she muttered to Kyouya.

* * *

~A/N~

Not my best work ever, but it's been so long since I've updated that I wanted to get something out. There was some OOC-ness in this one, but given the situations, I hope it was believable at least.

Anywho, thank you much to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers!

Please review!


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer- I don't own Ouran High School Host Club

**Chapter 23**

**Yours and Mine**

There was a strange sensation of being watched that broke through the haze of Kimiko's sleep. At first it was just a little tingle of paranoia that made her roll over in the very comfortable bed. A few seconds after she had rolled over, however, the sensation grew intensely and she could have sworn that she had heard movement somewhere near the door. Her sleepy paranoia over ruling her intense desire to fall back into a restful sleep caused her to slowly peek an eye open. Not expecting to see anything remotely frightening, she glanced around blearily and was just about to close her eye when she let out a startled yelp and sat up so fast she made herself dizzy.

"What the hell are you doing in my room, Tamaki?" She shouted at the blond that had stuck his head in her door and was giving her his best attempt at innocent puppy dog eyes.

Taking her shout as an invitation to fully enter the room, Tamaki dramatically burst through the door and ran towards the bed."It's Haruhi, she's been at the whim of those treacherous twins since last night. Those two are nothing but trouble and I can't bear the thought of what they might be doing to my poor Haruhi! We have to go and rescue-"

"Get out!" Kimiko yelled, pulling one of the fluffy pillows from the bed and smacking him in the face with it. "Haruhi can take care of herself if you hadn't noticed. Now go be insane somewhere else, it's only six in the morning and it's too early for me to deal with your fantasies." She plopped back down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her head, ignoring the sniffles and dragging footsteps of Tamaki as he left her room. "Jackass," she muttered grumpily.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Kimiko glanced at the clock and frowned while thinking of ways to make Tamaki pay for waking her up at six in the morning. Unable to go back to sleep she had laid in the bed and thought about how things would be now that she had nothing left to fear. Her life was going to be much different now that her mother was no longer a threat to her and no longer had any say or influence in the path her life took. She was now free. Free from worry over her safety, free from worrying over how her father's cherished business would be run by anyone but her and free to make her own choices without fear of any retaliation from her mother.

Yawning widely and stretching her stiff muscles Kimiko glanced over to the clock on the bedside table. "Six thirty-seven. Guess I'll get up," she yawned while slipping off of the bed and making her way to the bathroom. "Might as well take advantage of the fact I can go outside."

Since she was the only girl staying in a house full of boys it had been decided that she would get one of the bedrooms with a private bath. After combing her long hair and pulling it in a ponytail she changed out of her pajamas and put on a pair of black yoga capris with a pink foldover waist as well as a pink sports bra. Unsure of the temperature outside, but knowing the mornings could be a bit chilly, she pulled a black tank top on over the sports bra before also grabbing a thin black zip up hooded sweater.

After pulling on black running shoes, she slipped on her sweater and headed outside. She didn't see anyone on her trek through the house and was wondering if she was alone when she entered the living room. The back of the room was dominated by slightly tinted glass that gave a great view of the surrounding hills and village just a few miles away. Mori was outside, it seemed she wasn't the only one wanting to take advantage of the beautiful morning by getting in some exercise. He was currently stretching on the grass and when she opened the door she smiled at him as glanced back at her.

"Good morning, Mori," she greeted.

"Morning."

"It's a beautiful morning for a jog, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Mori replied, tilting his face up to the morning sun. "I'll go with you."

"You don't have to do that," Kimiko said as Mori stood from the ground. "I'll be fine on my own."

"You don't know the area."

"Well, no, but-"

"I'll go with you."

Kimiko knew she was going to lose the little debate and settled on nodding. "Well, if you'd like, but it looks like you've already warmed up. I haven't yet so do you mind jogging for a few minutes and then stopping so I can stretch before continuing on?"

He shook his head.

"Ok then, so.. shall we?" She asked with a smile.

Mori nodded and made a sound of agreement before beginning to jog towards a path that led into the trees surrounding the cottage. Kimiko followed after him at a leisurely pace. After about five minutes at the slow pace they stopped and stepped off the trail and into a small clearing between the trees.

"It's been a long time since I've gotten to jog outside... It's been a long time since I've been able to enjoy being outside for that matter," Kimiko said while using a tree trunk for support so she could stretch her calves one at a time.

"Were you not allowed outside while you were gone?" Mori asked, he too was stretching lightly.

"Nope. I was kept indoors at all times. It got a little... overwhelming I guess you could say," Kimiko chuckled. She had, on more than one occasion, lost her temper with her guards who wouldn't let her even open the door to see outside.

"Must have been hard," Mori observed.

Kimiko sighed and nodded. "It certainly wasn't easy. I wasn't allowed to do much and I didn't know anyone there. My cousin visited me a few times, he brought Sora around Christmas and that made the last few months a little better... A little less lonely." She gave Mori a slightly embarrassed smile before chuckling and going back to stretching.

She had been so focused on stretching that when a hand was gently laid on her head she started and nearly lost her balance.

"I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for you I'd probably have a few broken bones by now," chuckled Kimiko as Mori steadied with a small, amused smile of his own.

"Everyone's really glad you're back. I don't think being lonely is going to be a problem anymore."

"Thanks, Mori."

He grunted an acknowledgment and turned his face back to the path.

"I'm done stretching, we can continue on with our jog," Kimiko spoke up.

A hum and a nod were her only responses before Mori began to jog back towards the path with her only a few steps behind.

The path wound its way through the trees and into the soft hills. The hills were gently sloped and made for easy climbs while also providing wide open views of the countryside. She wasn't sure how long the path was, she guessed about three miles since the clock told her only about forty-five minutes had passed since they had left and they had gone at a pretty easy pace so Kimiko could enjoy the morning air and beautiful views.

Once back in the yard of the Haninozuka cottage Kimiko took to stretching once again. Mori did a few stretches himself before he retrieved a bamboo sword from the deck of the house. While he practiced and ran through a series of exercises with the sword, she slipped off her shoes and enjoyed the feeling of the smooth grass beneath her feet for a moment before lowering herself to her hands and knees. She wasn't the biggest fan of yoga, but it seemed like a good way to get in a little more exercise and to continue to enjoy the warmth of the sun on her face.

Beginning with situating herself into the downward facing dog position, she held the pose for several breaths before raising her right leg slowly from the ground so that she was moving onto the downward facing dog split position. She moved slowly and gracefully through a series of poses before taking a deep breath and straightening up after about a half hour. Mori was still moving through his own workout and not wanting to disturb him Kimiko went back inside to clean up.

After taking a shower and getting dressed in a pair of light denim capris with a white tank top that she pulled a pale purple scoop-necked shirt over. Having a fondness for layering her clothes to hide her scarred back, and liking the look, she also selected a long, white open-front cardigan to pull on as well. She decided she didn't quite feel like doing her hair so she pulled it up into a neat ponytail and left some of her fringe out to frame her face. Make up never having been her thing she settled for a powder foundation, a light dusting of pink blush and a quick application of mascara.

Wandering back into the main portion of the house, Kimiko made her way to the kitchen and was pleased to see a coffee maker on the counter. It took a few minutes to find everything, but the tantalizing scent of freshly brewed coffee soon filled the kitchen. She was walking around the kitchen island to sit on one of the stools pushed beneath it when Kyouya, drawn by the scent of the coffee walked in.

"Morning, sleepy head," Kimiko greeted with a chuckle at the rumpled looking Kyouya who was adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"Morning," he grumbled in reply, plopping himself into a seat at the island.

"Would you like some coffee?" Kimiko offered. It was rather amusing to see Kyouya wandering around in a wrinkled t-shirt and pajama pants with messy hair, it was quite the contrast to the usual Kyouya who was always so smoothly put together.

"Please," he answered.

When she had poured the steaming beverage into a cup and set it before Kyouya she walked around to take a seat on another empty stool. They sipped the hot drink quietly, Kyouya gazing blankly at a newspaper that had been on the counter top.

"Would you like another cup?" Kimiko asked when Kyouya had finished his first.

Kyouya hummed as if just realizing she was there, but nodded. "I would, thank you."

Taking both of their cups and stepping around the island, she poured them each another cup of coffee. It was as she was turning to set both cups back down on the island that Kyouya seemed to finally wake up.

"Have you been up long?" He asked as she sat back down and he noticed that she was showered and dressed for the day.

"Since about six," Kimiko answered. "Tamaki woke me up and I wasn't able to go back to sleep."

"That moron, he woke me up too. He's lucky I fell back to sleep otherwise I probably would have hurt him."

"I hit him with a pillow and told him to get out. I was too lazy to do much more at the time."

"If you've been up since then, what have you been doing for the last... three hours," he asked, glancing at the clock on the microwave.

"I went for a nice jog with Mori. Did some stretching and some yoga, then cleaned up and made coffee."

"So Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai must still be here too," mused Kyouya. "I suppose I should clean up as well so we can all go to the pension together."

"Mitsukuni is just waking up too," Mori said, stepping into the kitchen from the hallway.

Kimiko smiled at Mori in greeting and noticed that he too was showered and dressed for the day.

With a sigh, Kyouya finished his second cup of coffee and stood. "Thank you for the coffee, Kimiko," he offered before taking his leave to go and clean up as well.

"Would you like some coffee, Mori? There's still some left if you'd like it."

He shook his head and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. "No, thanks."

She and Mori sat in comfortable silence while reading over varying news articles. When she had finished her coffee, she thought about drinking the rest of the coffee, but decided that two cups was more than a good start.

"Do you think Hunny-senpai will want some coffee? Or should I just clean out the pot?" Kimiko asked Mori.

"I'll have some coffee! And cake!" Hunny chirped, skipping happily into the kitchen and beaming at Kimiko. "Good morning, Kimi-chan! Did you sleep alright?"

"I did, thank you," she answered as she poured the last cup of coffee into a cup for Hunny. When she turned around he was already seated at the counter with a piece of cake in front of himself. She blinked in confusion, but then remembered seeing several slices of cake on a shelf in the fridge. "Here's your coffee."

"Thank you, Kimi-chan!"

"You're welcome."

"So where's Kyo-chan? Is he not awake yet?" Hunny asked between bites of his cake.

"He's getting ready to go," Mori answered since Kimiko had only heard part of the question as she cleaned the coffee pot and the cups she and Kyouya had used.

The three chatted for a few minutes until Kyouya reentered the kitchen looking much more like himself. He was dressed casually in a short sleeve white button up and dark pants.

"Kyo-chan is here!" Hunny cheered. "We should all meet the others and have breakfast." The blond hopped from his seat and merrily made his way out of the kitchen with Mori trailing along a few feet behind.

Reaching for the plate and coffee cup that had been abandoned on the counter so she could clean them Kimiko was oblivious to Kyouya approaching her until he placed his on her arm. She started and blinked up at the handsome Ootori who gave her one of his heart stopping smiling.

"The maid will get those, we should catch up to Mori and Hunny-senpai before they leave without us."

"Right," Kimiko replied absently, distracted by the smile Kyouya had given her.

"Well, come on then," Kyouya said, taking Kimiko's hand and leading her from the kitchen.

"This is really weird," Kimiko blurted out while they walked through the house.

"What?" Kyouya inquired.

"This," she answered and lifted up their hands.

"Why?"

"Because I've been gone for awhile and we were just starting to actually get to know one another before I left. It feels like.. a daydream, I guess."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kyouya asked.

"Well, no. I suppose not. I've always been a bit of a dreamer," she answered with a grin. "But when we get home would you mind telling me just what it is I am to you? You've never really made that clear."

He was quiet for a moment before he came to an abrupt stop that nearly caused Kimiko to run right into his chest as he turned towards her. "Well," he began in a contemplative tone. "I would think it was fairly obvious."

"It may be obvious to you, but I'd rather not journey into that dark and twisted brain of yours to see what you mean. So would you care to explain?"

A slight smirk tugged at the corners of Kyouya's lips. "If you insist," he said, leaning just a little closer to her. "You're mine."

Kimiko tilted a brow and gave Kyouya a bland look. "Possessive much?"

"Not really," Kyouya replied, with a shrug. "More like I'm stubborn and I don't like sharing."

"You seemed perfectly fine sharing me last night when Tamaki wouldn't leave me the hell alone," Kimiko pointed out.

"Yes, well, that was Tamaki and he's an idiot. I'm still not convinced he's even human."

"So if I'm yours then what are you? Mine?"

"Something like that," Kyouya replied, resuming their walk to the door.

* * *

~A/N~

This chapter has been done for awhile, but I was originally planning on making longer. I ended up changing my mind and deciding I should post something since it's been... well, a long time since the last update. I also sort of like ending this chapter here, it sort of ends the first part of the story, now we move on to part 2. :) I was going to make a separate story altogether, but I don't that I will...

Anywho, thank you to all of my lovely reviewers! I have gone back and re-edited a few things that were pointed out to me and I also did a little bit of editing on the relationship between Kimiko and Mori, nothing that warrants going back to reread, but I took out some of the awkwardness that existed between them. They're just friends, Mori's still protective, but more in a brotherly way and less in the possible romantic way. Hope that made sense... My mind is fried. Midterm papers, tests, work has been insane and finals are right around the corner in two weeks. My brain needs a break.. And not in the breakdown kinda way which we're steering towards at the moment...

Anyway, stay sane fellow students and feed the review monster! It'll give me one less thing to worry about. :)


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